Mutsumi Knows
by mtgradwell
Summary: Mutsumi remembers more about her childhood promises than she is telling. Has spoilers about the promises. Now includes wedding, so definitely KeiXMut. My first fic.
1. Bumping Into an Old Friend

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina.

There can't be many people who've had as many "dry runs" for Tokyo U as I have. Sure, there are other third year ronins, but at least their actual entrance exams weren't just a preparation for a future test. I've taken the actual test twice before, not expecting to pass and not wanting to either, even though I know I have the aptitude for it.

I know what you're thinking, that I must be addicted to the ronin lifestyle, but it's not that at all. I think I could get addicted to the university lifestyle, but being a ronin - well, it doesn't impress anybody, and it's hard work. I'm just glad that my family understands. I don't know what I'd do without my mother's support in particular.

But now the test is coming up again, and I have to ask myself, is it for real this time? I wish I knew. I'll study hard in any case, because I have to know that when the time does come I'll be up to the task; but I've seen the same sort of questions, so many times, that sometimes I think I could do the exams in my sleep... no, I mustn't get complacent! I did that during the practice tests, and only got fifty percent. It's a good thing, perhaps, that those exams don't actually count. If this really is the year, then I must't fare like that in the exams that do count. That wouldn't do at all!

This is the first year when it could actually be for real, but is it? I'm sure my protectress knows, but she hasn't told me, and I don't want to press. I've presumed too much on her goodness already, and she has saved me more times than I could count. But she only steps in when she's really, really needed, which is as it should be, and I haven't got to that stage yet. Dying to know isn't quite the same thing as dying. She does tell me, though, that I'll know when the time comes, and I'll satisfy myself with that.

-

And now it actually is the big day, when I face the first of the exams, and still I don't know if this is the time when I have to go all out to win. I have a part of the answer, though. Kei-kun bumped into me - literally. I'm pretty sure it was him, though I only saw him for a second or so before I blacked out from the shock, and from the force of the collision. I felt dizzy afterwards, and I was a few minutes late for the start of the exam, but I don't blame him for that. He was in a hurry, and with good reason.

I'm fairly sure he didn't recognise me; well, it has been fifteen years after all, and there's no reason why he should. It's not like I have an unforgettable appearance. More importantly, at least he hasn't forgotten his promise. I took a seat in the exam hall, fortunately quite close to kei-kun. All the seats reserved for latecomers were close together, so really I was bound to be close to him. I sneaked a glance at him, yes, it really was my Kei-kun, no mistake. Suddenly I felt so much better. It even felt good that I had collided with him earlier - though a kiss would have been nicer, at least it was contact, after so many years of being apart. And perhaps I'd be able to reintroduce myself to him at the end of the exam, and we'd be able to go somewhere and chat about childhood, and promises ...

But what about Na-chan? somehow I'd had the impression that Kei-Kun and Na-chan would be together, but when he bumped into me he'd been on his own. Still, if he was slightly late, maybe she was too. Maybe she was one of the people sat very close to me; but I hadn't seen her since she was three. Would I recognise her?

Glancing around, I soon spotted her. Well, I was fairly sure it was her. She was so pretty, and Kei-Kun was so cute too. What a marvellous trio we'd make when we did all finally pass together! I saw nervous glances passing between the two of them, and I knew that I was right. In fact they were both very nervous-looking indeed. I wanted to give them both a hug to calm them down, but I know you don't do that sort of thing in the middle of an exam.

Well, we were all together now, so there was nothing left to do except give it my best shot, and hope for the best. So, I got down to work. Most of the questions weren't too hard, and for those that were - well, my patented secret study weapon has never failed me yet. But then there was a disturbance. Kei-Kun got up - he was actually leaving, giving up! I was suddenly distraught. I felt I had to get up myself, and remind him about the promise, but then Na-chan got up and did it for me, taking the words right out of my mouth. "You promised me, didn't you! Are you just gonna give up, after coming this far! You promised me, didn't you, that we would pass together!"

Yes, Kei-Kun, you promised us that we would all three pass together. I almost shouted it out myself, but something held me back.

Kei looked stunned. He choked out a few words about Naru being the girl of his promise, about how she was always there for him, keeping the promise; but he said it quietly, so that I only just caught part of what he said. Then he picked up some resolve, and shouted for the entire hall to hear, about how he would keep his promise, and get into Tokyo U with her, and how they'd both live happily ever after.

Well, I've never seen a scene like that in an exam hall, though I'm told I have been the cause of quite a scene myself in the past. But the examiners fortunately allowed Kei to return to his seat and continue the exam, after he promised there'd be no more outbursts. They allowed the exam to go on for about two minutes longer than it should have done, to make up for the commotion. I think I did OK, but I'm not sure. I was surprised to find that I needed those two extra minutes.

Do I need to pass anyway? I still don't know for sure if this is the year. They both sounded so confident, but they looked so nervous! We're half way through the exams, and I still don't know! Ara!

So now the first exam is over, and I can collect my thoughts together about what just happened. Now this I do know: Kei-Kun and Na-Chan both know about the promises. They seem to remember in some detail. Perhaps they both remember me, and the part I played. I hope so. Perhaps they talk about me and my promises, while they are studying together. But I can't bring myself to introduce myself to them just now. I know there's still another day of testing to go, and I don't want to disturb them before that all-important second day. Besides, I have to know how Na-Chan and Kei-Kun feel about each other. If Na-Chan is still deeply in love with Kei-Kun and vice-versa - well, I will have to keep my promise to her. It'll be hard, but their happiness is what matters most. But if they are just study-buddies, with no aim but to get to university together like they promised, then maybe there will be more in this for me than the renewal of an old friendship, and happy student days at Tokyo U. I have to know, but I can't just step up to them and confront them. Not now, anyway. Maybe after the last exam, or maybe when the results are published. Soon, anyway.


	2. A Testing Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 2. A testing time.

After fifteen years, today is finally the day, the last day of the Tokyo U entrance exams, perhaps a good day for the keeping of promises. I haven't dared to allow it to sink in before now, but in just a few short hours I could be reacquainting myself with my old friends, celebrating with them, singing songs just like we used to (maybe not about Liddo-kun this time, or maybe - why not? They were good songs, especially when we changed the words around like kids always do), and then we could be catching up with all the news of fifteen years of life, and talking about the dreams and promises of future happiness at the university. What fun it all could be!

Just one slight worry: I know I'm as ready as I'll ever be, but what about Kei-kun and Na-chan? Are they ready? My protectress said that I'd know when the time came, but surely _now _is the time, and if there has been a sign, I've missed it! How can that be? Ara, but maybe that moment in the first exam session was the sign and I didn't realise it. The moment when Kei-Kun had almost given up and was leaving early, but Na-Chan stopped him with a shout. Yes, now I think about it, it makes sense. I remember how I felt sure that Na-chan's words had given Kei-kun the confidence to go on and do well. And his reply to her, about how he would keep his promise and get into Tokyo U with her, and how they'd both live happily ever after - that must surely have filled her with just as much confidence and happiness! All I have to do is keep an eye out for them, and see if they still look happy and confident today. If they do, then surely we will all pass together.

So, I'm standing in the corridor outside the exam hall, ready to walk in and give it my best, but first I'm watching the people as they go in, looking out for my old friends. I've made sure I'm in plenty of time today, and I'm tucked away in a corner where nobody's likely to run into me. And I've forced myself to be relaxed, or as relaxed as I can be. Mustn't take any chances! Not today!

Not that I need to worry too much, with my protectress here. I close my eyes for an instant, just to reassure myself of her presence, and yes, there she is, filling me with calmness and reassurance. She smiles but says nothing. Instead she makes a sign, a motion indicating that I should open my eyes again. I do, and I see Na-Chan, showing her entrance card to the man at the hall door. She indeed looks full of happiness and confidence as she sweeps through into the exam hall, and this makes her look prettier than ever. But once again Kei-Kun is not with her. Why? I feel my faint hope returning, that they are just study-buddies, nothing more. Oh Kei-kun, if you are truly free, if you could be mine ... but where are you?

Perhaps my eyes had been closed for longer than I thought. Perhaps Kei has entered the hall while my eyes were closed. But I poke my head through the door and glance around, and all I see is Na-chan and a crowd of strangers. So I settle down again and continue to wait.

But now it's almost time for the exam to start, and I'm starting to get worried. Where is he? I _mustn't _get worried. Perhaps he has got lost on his way to the hall. Perhaps he has dropped his pass and is looking for it in the flower beds. I decide to look for him, and so I walk out of the building and towards the campus entrance. Surely, if he is on his way, then I will see him coming the other way, towards me. And yes, there he is. But ... oh dear! What has happened to my Kei-kun?

He looks like a picture of devastation. His face - I can hardly bear to look at it, he seems so dispirited. I can see the tracks that tears have been making down his unnaturally pale cheeks. And he is moving, but ever so slowly, shuffling his feet along, not quite in the right direction, as if he is in a daze. Oh, Kei-kun! My mind goes back to an earlier time, when he would get into scrapes and I would make things better for him. Usually it was his knee that he would scrape, and the grown-ups would let me put the band-aid on him, and they would praise me for being a good little nurse. I have a packet of band-aids in my bag now. If only they could make things better!

Then I remember the other thing I used to do, the special magic that could take away any pain. I have to try it now. "Kei-kun", I say to him as I rest my hands gently on his shoulders. "You probably don't remember my face, but please trust me. I am an old friend, and I want what is best for you. I don't know what has just happened to you, but I can see that you are hurt. There's another friend waiting for you in the exam hall, and a promise to keep, so please feel better!" And with that I wrap my arms around his neck, and gently kiss his cheek. It's what I used to do when we were children, but somehow it feels different now, even better than it used to. I feel all warm and comfortable inside. I want to be able to kiss him forever.

But there's still an exam to do, an exam hall to get to! I step back and take another look at his face, and I see with dismay that it hasn't changed. And then I realise what is happening. Somehow, he is sleepwalking. Well, at least this is something I know a bit about, though usually it's me who is doing the sleepwalking and others who are telling me about it afterwards. I know, or at least I've always been told, that it's a bad idea to wake up a sleepwalker, that it can be dangerous, even. So, I'll just have to hope he wakes up soon. In the meantime: "Please hold my hand and walk with me", I say, though I don't think now that my words are registering with him. I take his hand, and gently lead him towards the hall.

I'm at the entrance to the hall. The man sat behind the check-in desk is wanting Kei-kun's pass card, so I look in his bag. Fortunately it's on top of everything else, so I don't have to invade his privacy too much. Keitaro Urashima. So that is his full name. I'll have to remember that. Mutsumi Urashima - wouldn't that be a nice name? Ara. But the man behind the desk interrupts my brief reverie. "Excuse me miss, but there's something strange going on here. If he's taking this exam, shouldn't he be able to do things for himself? And he looks nothing like the photo on the passcard".

I look at the passcard and see that the man is right. But - there is a resemblance. Somehow I feel sure that this is a picture of Kei-kun. Then I see what the problem is, and I turn to Kei. "Smile", I say. ""Please, for me, and for Na-chan, and for your parents, and for any other friends who are counting on you today, please smile". And, amazingly, he does. It is the strangest smile I have ever seen; a smile that somehow seems to be filled with pain, but still it is a smile. And he looks exactly like he does in the photo.

After the check-in man's jaw hits the floor, he says "OK, we just need his signature here in this register, and then he can go in". So I try to get Keitaro to sign in the right spot, but he just scrawls a few random lines all over the page. Fortunately one of the marks he makes is in about the right place. "That's the most illegible signature I've ever seen", the check-in man says. "Is he studying to be a doctor"?

"I'm not sure", I say, "but please - I'm taking the test too, but before you check me in, please make sure that my friend is properly seated at a desk, ready for the exam. I'll be very grateful" And the man does lead Kei-kun into the hall, muttering something under his breath about strange goings-on, while I whisper "please wake up soon Kei-kun, and do your best!" Then I fish out my own card.

What to do? Na-chan looks confident, but Kei-kun looks a wreck, and is sleepwalking. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll do badly, though. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I sleepwalked through the practice tests, and I still got 50 percent. There aren't many people who can do exams in their sleep like I can, but maybe Kei is one of them. I hope he is.

What to do? We're supposed to all pass, or none of us. The promise was that we'd all pass together. Maybe not this year, but sometime, we all have to pass together. So - Na-chan looks confident. I think she can pass. I know I can, if I try hard. So maybe, if I do my very best, my protectress will _have_ to help Kei-Kun. She won't allow Kei to fail, while Na-chan and I pass. She _can't_! She knows how much that promise means to me. But ...

As the check-in man returns, I hold out my card, but it falls out of my hand. I'd pick it up, but my hand won't move. My whole body won't move. So, why is the man getting further away? Why are the walls and ceiling getting further away? Why is the floor coming closer? As everything goes grey I realise, just a second too late, that I should never deliberately try to force my protectress into any course of action, and I should never even think of doing such a thing.

I wake up to find myself tucked into a bed, with the familiar antiseptic smell of a hospital ward in my nostrils. I turn my head slightly, to see the face of a familiar doctor. He looks concerned and upset.

"Ara, it happened again, didn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, Otohime-san. Kame, I'm sorry! If only I was a better doctor, if only I could find what it is that ails you, and how to cure it, this wouldn't have to happen!"

"But you are a better doctor, silly! You're one of the best there is, and I know you've asked lots of other really good doctors, and none of them can say what the problem is either. So, don't let it worry you. I know you're doing your very best! That's what counts."

"But I feel so helpless! I'm a doctor because I want to help people. And I know you must have really wanted to pass that exam. If you like, I'll explain your case very carefully to the examining board, and maybe ..."

"No. I understand now that I wasn't meant to pass that exam. I have two friends who also took the exam, and I'm sure now that they failed too. I'd prefer to try again next year, and maybe get in together with them. And you do help people, even when it's just by being there for them and doing your best for them. And I know how much you want to find a cure for my condition, and the good news is - you will! I have a protectress who has never been wrong about things like that, and she assures me that you will find a cure eventually. So cheer up!"

And he does cheer up. "Thank you Otohime-san. I think you could be a very good doctor yourself, one day, if you aren't one already!" he says. "Now, we can't hold you here against your will. The exams won't quite have finished yet, and we could perhaps get you there for the last five minutes of them, and then you could maybe check with your friends to see if they really have failed; but I strongly recommend that you rest here for now, and get in touch with them later. Whatever the problem is, it's really something quite serious, not just anemia or spells of faintness. I want to check you over very thoroughly in a short while, to see if there's something we could have missed, so please stay. Rest now, and I'll be with you again in a short time".

So - it would have been nice to chat with Na-chan and Kei-kun today, but I wouldn't be a good patient if I didn't do what the doctor asks. Oh well. Now I have Kei-kun's full name, perhaps I can look him up in the phone book. If not, well I'm sure both he and Na-Chan will want to know as soon as possible how they did, so they'll go to the results centre to see the results soon after they are posted up. I'll just have to turn up there early, before the first results go up, and be ready and waiting for them.

Poor Kei-kun. I suspect he already has an inkling that he failed. I wonder what could have happened to him this morning, to leave him so devastated? Perhaps he had a premonition, which told him he was doomed to fail this year because the conditions weren't right yet. Yes, that might explain it.

Poor Na-chan. Does she know that she has failed? If so, she must be feeling sad now. I wish I could be with her to comfort her, like I was when we were children. Still, she has Kei-kun, and he'll be able to tell her that there's always next year. But what if she doesn't know? What if she knows that Kei has failed, but she thinks that she has passed? She might be blaming herself for messing up the promise by jumping the gun, for passing when Kei-kun wasn't ready to pass along with her! I really will have to try to find them soon, and give them both some reassurance.

To the reviewers: Thanks for the kind words. I'll try to review your works soon.

TornadoReviewer: Since you're a big Mutsumi fan, I'll try not to mess this one up. As for the fic being first person Mutsumi POV - that's something that can be restrictive, but I'll keep it going for as long as I can. That's because I'm trying to put across the notion that there's a lot more to Mutsumi than meets the eye, a lot of hidden depths. The best way to do that seems to me to be to present her innermost thoughts, or at least try to. My plan is for much of the action to dovetail with the established canon (mostly the manga, but with bits borrowed from the anime where they suit my purposes) so if I don't stick to the one POV and to action that is mostly "offstage", there's a danger that I'll end up just retelling the canon story.

Liber Logaeth: I think you're a Mutsumi fan too. I like your notion that her family is actually quite well off. That's the impression I have too, so there'll be elements of that in this story.


	3. Address Unknown

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 3. Address Unknown.

Thanks to the piles of phone books spread around my otherwise nearly bare rented apartment, I now know that there are many Urashimas in and around Tokyo. There's a couple of Keitaro Urashimas, but neither is my Kei-kun. There's even, amazingly, a couple of Taro Urashimas - yes, real people with the exact same name as the hero in the fairy tale. But neither of them is my hero. Maybe Kei-kun is living somewhere further afield, or maybe he is living with his parents and the telephone is in their name. I could phone every Urashima in Japan if I have to, to ask if they have a son called Keitaro, but the prospect is daunting.

Then I realise, there's one phone call I can make that might clear everything up, and I won't even need a phone book! I really need to phone home anyway, so ... here goes. Protectress, please let me have some good luck now!

"Hi, momma! Just thought I'd let you know that things are going really well. Oh, I did have a couple of blackouts, both just before exams. And one of them did last for hours, and it meant that I got taken to hospital and I missed that exam session completely, so I probably haven't passed this year. But apart from that everything's great!"

"That's really nice to hear, Mu-chan!" mom says, but she sounds a bit uncertain.

"And the really good news is that I saw Na-Chan and Kei-kun!"

"Now that really is good news!" she says, and this time I'm sure she means it. "I know how much they mean to you! Please let them know they're welcome to stay here any time they're passing through Okinawa!"

"I'll be sure to do that, mom. And Thanks. There is just one other small problem though ... ara, I lost them again. But don't worry mom, I know a bit more than I did before. Kei-kun's full name is Keitaro Urashima, and Na-chan is Naru, but I don't know her family name. Does any of that ring any bells?"

"Oh my! Yes, it does! I remember reading to you about Taro Urashima, how he rescued the turtle from the naughty children, and how the turtle took him to see the beautiful princess Otohime in her undersea coral palace. That was a really good story, and just perfect for a real beautiful Otohime princess to hear at bedtime!"

"It's KEItaro I want, mom! KEItaro Urashima!"

"Oh. KEItaro. Urashima ... Urashima .. yes! The inn where I worked, where you tell me you met Kei-kun and Na-chan, it was owned by Granny Hina, and she was an Urashima. Keitaro must be related to her ... I think he must be her grandson. But I couldn't tell you his parents' names. They only visited the inn briefly, when your father and I were busy packing to come back to Okinawa, so we never paid them much attention I'm afraid."

"Oh mom, thank you! I'm sure that will help!"

"You're welcome, Mu-chan; but I might be able to help even more. You said that Na-Chan is Naru. That rings a bell too. There was a family that stayed at the inn quite often, with a name something like that ... Naru ... Naruse ... Narusegawa? Something like that. They had a little daughter who was very ill, and they were hoping that the hot springs there might help her condition."

"Yes! I feel sure that's Na-chan - but she looks healthy enough now. I think the springs must have worked!"

"I'm afraid that's all I can remember. But maybe Granny Hina is still at the Hinata inn. She should be able to tell you more, if Keitaro is her grandson. And even if she isn't there, every hotel has a register. Maybe they've kept their old registers, and you could find what you want in them."

"Thank you mom! I love you! And give my love to Dad too! I'll speak to you again soon, but now I've got an inn to visit!"

"Okay dear! If you do see Granny Hina, please give her my regards!"

* * *

So I take the tram to Hinata Hot Springs, and it feels like a time machine journey taking me back to my childhood. And now I'm walking across the old wooden bridge to the picturesque town, shrouded in mist from the many springs there. Then a memory comes to me, as vivid as if it is happening now: There's me at the window of the van, waving goodbye to Kei-kun as he desperately chases after it, as if he would follow it all the way to Okinawa, but he stumbles near the end of the bridge. "Kei-Kei!" I shout. "Promise me, when we grow up, that we'll see each other at Tokyo U!" 

Back in the present, I'm walking through the narrow alleyway and up to the stairs that seemed so huge to a five-year-old. They're still huge. I can't believe that Kei and Na and I once tried to ride a toy train down them! Thinking about it, I can't believe that any of us is still alive. Could my protectress have been with me even then?

Before I actually enter the inn I make a small detour to the play area. Amazingly, the sand pit is still there. I wonder if the "time capsule" is still buried under it? I sit down on the swing nearby, just soaking in the atmosphere and the memories...

When I find Na-chan and Kei-Kun, I'll have to bring them to this place, so they can experience these feelings too, and maybe we can dig up the buried treasure together. I just know they'll love it here. I wonder if they have actually been here in recent years, just to relive the memories like I'm doing now?

And now I'm actually inside the inn, and it's exactly as I remember. In the foyer, the old reception desk is still there. I go to it, but there's no register there, and no bell to ring. Strange. I look in the manager's office, but Granny Hina is nowhere to be seen, and neither is anyone else. Now I go to the entrance of the hot spring baths, and Tama-chan, who I have brought with me because I know she will love this place, gives out an excited "myu". She dives gleefully off my shoulder and swoops around the springs, sending up a spray of water with her flippers. I smile to see her antics.

I wander around the corridors until I actually meet someone, which turns out to be a hyperactive foreign-looking young girl.

"Heyas!" she says. "Is you an intruder?"

"No, I'm looking for the hotel manager"

"You is out of luck, sorry, cos this isn't no hotel any more! This is a girl's dorm! But you can stay here anyways, cos you is definitely a girl!" she says as she bounces around me.

A girl's dorm. So that explains why there's no register. But that means they probably don't have any of the old registers either. But that's OK, if I can just find Granny Hina.

"Thank you, but I'm just visiting for now, is the dorm manager available?"

"He is indisposed. Sorry! But I can take youse to the cook!"

He. That means the place has changed hands. Still, I can't give up just yet.

The cook turns out to be another young girl, hanging out washing on the flat roof of the annex. I explain to her that I'm hoping for a chance to look at the old registers, or to speak to granny Hina or to the manager.

"I'm sorry" she says. "I don't know about any registers. Granny Hina went on a trip around the world. There is a new manager, but sempai really is indisposed. He's not in any condition to see anybody. Perhaps you could leave a note, and I'm sure he'll get back to you when he's feeling better. Or if you see Haruka, who runs the tea shop at the bottom of the steps, she used to be house-mother here. She might be able to help".

I thank the young girl and say I'll do both those things. I write my name and address and a brief note about why I was here, and I hand it to the young cook, who promises to pass it on to the manager. Actually, in the note I gave my Okinawa home details, not the details of my rented accomodation in Tokyo, because I'll probably be leaving that in a couple of days.

As I'm leaving the inn, the young foreigner is there again. "Does you want to play?" she asks, hopefully.

It might be nice to forget about studying and searching for a while, and just play; but if her playing is like her leaping around, it could demolish me.

"Oh my!" I say "What a friendly and helpful place this is! I'm sorry, I have to be moving on, I have to see somebody in the tea shop. But, did you mean what you said about how I could stay here? It isn't just a place for young teenage girls?"

"Oh no, you can be an old hag, as long as you is a girl and is not a meanie. Why, Kitsune stays here and she is even older than you!"

"Ara, thank you". Now I know where I should have stayed. It would have been a very long commute into Tokyo every day, but worth it. Oh, well. Maybe I'll be here next year. Maybe if I find Na-chan and Kei-kun and tell them about this place, they'll agree that it's a great "find", and we can all stay here together. Ara, what am I thinking? Kei-kun isn't a girl! But maybe they would let him stay anyway, if I asked nicely.

At the bottom of the steps I try to call on Haruka, but there's a sign in the teashop window: "closed temporarily due to staff shortage. Open again tomorrow". Oh well. There's bound to be one setback in any adventure.

As I head back to the tram stop, Tama-chan rejoins me, settling on my shoulder again. I muse about what I have achieved, if anything. I've enjoyed the trip, I'm happy to be reacquinted with Hinata-sou; but I've not made as much advance in the finding of Na-chan and Kei-kun as I had hoped. After the sense of progress that I felt when I spoke to mom on the phone, it's a bit of an anticlimax. At least I tried, though. And in a couple of days I'll meet Kei-kun and Na-chan when the results are announced, so surely there's no harm done.

* * *

General POV

Shortly afterwards, Naru and Kitsune emerged from their rooms and met in the corridor. They both took an anxious glance out through the window, looking at the adjoining roof where the "indisposed" manager had apparently been camped out for some days now, oblivious to the world. "Still up there, I see" said Kitsune. 

"Yes, I wish I understood what was up with him" replied Naru, shaking her head sadly.

"Come on, you can tell me, I'm you friend. What was it you said to him? Or what did you do? He was fine when he left here on the morning of the last test!"

"Nothing! Really, it was nothing!" Naru said, but her red face contradicted her words.

Kitsune didn't press the matter, because she could see that Naru was uncomfortable about it, but she was determined to find out eventually. It didn't seem right, something going on which she didn't understand. And she really didn't like seeing Keitaro so obviously upset, and the thought that her friend Naru might have something to do with it made her uncomfortable.

Naru's POV

It seemed like nothing at the time, just the correction of a simple misunderstanding, but now I must admit I'm having doubts. But, fifteen years ago I was two years old. Simple arithmetic should have told him that! I could hardly talk, much less make a promise like the one he thought I made. And he has no right to involve me in his fantasies.

Well, it's the truth, isn't it? I can't be his promise girl. Oh, I did promise him this year, that we'd do our best to get to Tokyo U together, but then he goes and misunderstands, and thinks I'm this girl from fifteen years ago, and he embarasses me in front of the whole class, on the first day of exams! I had to set him straight, or he might have embarassed me again on the last day!

Maybe it was a mistake, though, to tell him that it's my promise to my tutor that's been keeping me going for the last two years. I think he might have taken that a bit hard. But really I haven't seen Seta in ages, it's not as if he's still around! Oh well, I should have known, it's just like that idiot to overreact, and to take things the wrong way!

back to Mutsumi's POV:

As I'm on the tram and watching Hinata house recede into the mist, I get a sudden foreboding. It's as if I've made a wrong turn somewhere, and missed an important chance, one that might not come again. But why? Tokyo U will always have entrance exams every year. I know my family will let me try again, for however many attempts I want to make. I feel sure that I will be meeting Na-Chan and Kei-Kun soon, despite all setbacks; and I feel sure that I'll get along with them, and we'll be happy together. I also have my protectress looking after me. So why do I feel this way?

* * *

To the reviewers: 

Shinji: Thanks for the enthusiastic tribal dance. I hope this update meets the requirements.

TornadoReviewer: Mutsumi is developed a bit more in the manga than in the anime, but I'm having second thoughts about following the Manga storyline because I think a lot more people will be familiar with the Anime. If I follow the Manga, I will have to occasionally switch away from Mutsumi's POV, like I have done near the end of this chapter, to mention things which Mutsumi doesn't know about but which the readers will have to know if they want to fully understand what is going on.

In the Manga, when Naru tells Keitaro that she thinks she isn't the promise girl, she doesn't save this bombshell until after the exams are safely over. Instead she detonates it on the way to the last session of exams, and tops it with a revelation about how she made a promise to _someone else_, and it's because of this promise to _someone else_ that she gets so weak whenever she hears the word "promise". She then carries onward to the exam hall, serenely unaware of the devastated wreck of a Keitaro that she is leaving in her wake. After the exam Keitaro settles down on the roof of Hinata-sou, and continues to be devastated and dead to the world until the day when the results are announced.


	4. Results

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 4. Results.

* * *

I'm the ever-smiling, ever-happy Mutsumi Otohime. At least, that's what my friends always say. but my friends aren't here with me right now. 

"Myuh".

"Oh Tama-chan, I know you're my friend, and you do cheer me up. But, I'm missing my family and my friends in Okinawa. And there are two friends here that I'm missing too. Am I destined always to miss them?"

I'm at the results centre, where all the Tokyo University entrance exam results have been posted up. Just for the exercise, I check first in the place where my name would be if I had passed. It isn't there, just as I knew it wouldn't be. Without knowing Na-chan's or Kei-kun's exam entry numbers I can't do a similar check for their names, except perhaps by scanning the entire list, but I know anyway that this would be a futile exercise. I am more concerned to scan the crowds, looking for their faces. The problem is that the small trickle of people that was here at first really is turning into a crowd now. It would be so easy to miss two people, in so many.

I look at the faces of the people who are looking at the list; in every case, I am hoping to see a smile break out, to be followed by wild jubilation. But for about half of them there is something else - sometimes resignation, sometimes despair, sometimes disgust. I watch them slinking away, disappearing quietly into the background. If I don't catch them at the right moment, that is what Na-chan and Kei-kun will probably be doing soon. I have to catch them!

So much sadness. And now I'm feeling my share of it. Not, though, because my name isn't up there on the wall. Of all the people here, I'm perhaps the one most able to face that situation with equanimity. And it isn't the sadness of the failed applicants that is having an infectious effect on me either. On the contrary, it's the sight of the joyful victors that is getting to me. Part of me, the part which is willing them on to succeed, is happy along with them when they do. But, so many of them are with their friends, and their joy is shared. So many people are being tossed up in the air, or swung around in impromptu dances. The success is so much more visible than the failure, it would be so easy to look and see only the success, and imagine that the whole world is getting into Tokyo U, with their friends cheering them on. Part of me is wishing that I could be with my friends now, ideally to share success with them, but to share anything with them would be nice.

Thinking about sharing anything brings me on to thoughts about food. Unfortunately, I only brought a small packed lunch of home-made sushi and watermelon, and that was eaten quite a while ago. If only there was a shop or cafe here! But, even if there was, I don't think I could afford to take the time needed to buy something. Just one glance in the wrong direction, and I might miss them!

I still feel sure that Kei-kun and Na-chan will come - or maybe just one of them. But I had expected they would be here earlier. And all this looking, and looking, at all these faces of strangers, is getting to be too much. I'm aware of how slim the thread is that I'm pinning my hopes on. With my constitution, it would be so easy for me to black out now, and miss them. And, to top it all, I'm beginning to have doubts about what I should say to them when I do finally meet them. I know I'll want to cheer them up - but how will I do that if I'm not cheerful myself?

"Myuh".

I thought at first that Tama-chan was trying to cheer me up again, but she was pointing a flipper. I looked in the direction she was pointing, and saw Na-Chan and Kei-kun, together, both looking at the wall. Either their results are located close together, or they are both looking for the same result. I hurry towards them, this is one encounter I really don't want to miss. But Na-chan starts walking away, and after a second or so Kei starts after her. It's still possible for me to catch up to them, but then Na-chan breaks into a brisk run, and Kei-kun speeds up to match.

"Kei-kun! Keitaro! Na-chan! Naru!" I shout, but if either of them hears me, they show no sign. Probably they don't hear - there is so much sound of celebration going on all around, and Kei is shouting to Naru, and he is preoccupied with catching up to her, and she seems to be preoccupied with escaping from him.

"Oh!" I say to myself, as I slump to a halt. Spots are starting to appear before my eyes. But there has to be more - I can't let today end like this! Fortunately I am prepared though - I had anticipated that something like this might happen. I hold Tama-chan up in front of my face, and kiss her lightly on the snout. "It's up to you now Tama-chan! Please don't lose sight of them! I'll wait here, so you can find me afterwards and tell me where they have gone to!" And Tama-chan, with a reassuring "myuh" and a wave of her flipper, flies off after them. I notice a few people staring after her, and rubbing their eyes. I know there'll be stories in the paper tomorrow, but that can't be helped.

I manage to find a bench, and sit down. I know I have to rest and calm myself, or I'll have another blackout. So I close my eyes, and breathe deeply but gently, and think calming thoughts about rainbows, and fields full of flowers.

* * *

"Hello!" says my protectress. I look at her. She is sat at the other end of the bench, which is now in a field full of flowers, with a beautiful rainbow sky overhead, and she is utterly beautiful, and glowing like the sun. "Don't worry" she says. "Yes, this is a blackout, but it is only a brief one, and nobody will notice that you are unconscious. They will see you sat at this bench with your eyes closed, and they will think that you are just resting. I know you don't want to get taken to the hospital today. But, you don't make it easy for me! You should have brought more than a little sushi and a slice of watermelon." 

I want to apologise to her, and thank her, but I can't make words come. She is literally too beautiful for words.

"Now, you know why I am here: to protect you; but not from physical danger this time. You are safely seated on a bench, but still you are deeply worried. Please tell me why!"

In the face of her gentle request, I finally find a voice.

"It's about my friends. It's so long since I've spoken with them. I don't think the meeting with Kei-kun when he was sleepwalking counts".

"You will meet them soon, and have a real conversation with them. You can rely on Tama-chan. And your friendship with them will be resumed."

"Thank you, thank you! But what should I say to them? Should I reintroduce myself to them, as the girl they made the promise with so many years ago?"

"The promise?"

At first I'm taken aback. I'm sure my protectress knows all about the promise. But then I realise what she means.

"You're trying to remind me, that there was more than one promise?"

"Yes."

"And I can't pick and choose between childhood promises? I'm here now because I take one promise seriously. But I have to take my other promises equally seriously, even the one that I'd rather forget?"

"Yes."

"Na-chan gets to marry Kei-kun? I have to completely give up on him?"

"That is what you promised Naru."

"But - what if she doesn't remember that promise? And what if she and Kei-kun are just good friends?"

"Then you can remind her about the promise, and she can say that you are no longer held to it. But, the promise still applies, until Naru tells you otherwise."

"I don't know if I dare to remind Na-chan that I made that promise!"

"If you can't remind her, then you should completely give up on Keitaro."

"You're my protectress! Shouldn't you be telling me comforting things?"

"No, that would make me a comforter, not a protectress. My task is to guide you to safety, when you are lost and in danger."

"Oh."

"By the way, Tama-chan has some news for you."

* * *

"Myuh!" 

I'm still sat on the bench, but now it is in the results centre, and the other end of it is unoccupied. Tama-chan is on my shoulder.

"Myuh!"

"They're in a bar?"

"Myuh!"

"Yes, I can understand that. Ara, I think I'd like to be in a bar too. Please lead me there, Tama-chan! And quickly, I don't want us to lose them!"

"Myuh!"

"Don't worry, I will eat something before I drink!"

"Myuh!"

* * *

To the reviewers: 

Mantis Man: I think there is evidence in the canon, especially in the Manga, that Mutsumi's memories are a lot clearer than she will admit, and that her mental faculties in general are very sharp indeed. I can't go into this evidence in detail now though without giving spoilers about the probable future direction of this story. Sorry. Also, I'll try to work on the inner dialogue, to make it a bit less like an inner diary. This is all a new departure for me, but hopefully it will improve with practice.

Shinji: Thanks for the very nice jig.

Baka-Tenshi: My intention is to parallel the events of the canon, either Manga or Anime or a mixture of both, for as long as I can. I want to see how much I can stretch this thing before it breaks. But I think I will have to deviate significantly from canon eventually and then, who knows, maybe it will be a KeixMut.


	5. Tiredness kills take a break

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 5. Tiredness kills - take a break.

* * *

I'm in the bar, where Kei-kun and Naru-chan are sitting together. It would be so easy to join them now, but I can't bring myself to do it. So many years since I last talked with them! What if they have both changed completely? What if we have nothing in common now?

No, that's ridiculous, I know that they're both striving hard to keep the promise to get into Tokyo U together. I know that all three of us can share our disappointment that this isn't the year when our promises will finally be fulfilled. We also have our happy memories of childhood to share, and back then we had so much in common, we must surely still be alike. People don't change all that much, not even in fifteen years!

Still, I can't bring myself to go up to them. Perhaps if I had inside me some of the liquid courage, that people all around me are downing in large quantities, it would be different. But I daren't drink on an empty stomach. So I order a bar meal, and try to position myself in an alcove close to Kei and Naru, but the place is crowded, and the only free tables are on the other side. The meal arrives, and I eat it quickly.

Now what? Keep drinking until I feel brave enough to go up to them? No, I don't think that would create the right impression. So I have one of those thoughts that seems like a good idea at the time. I go to the man behind the bar, the one who is obviously running the place, and I spin a yarn about being an investigator, keeping tabs on an eloping couple. I ask if I can become a waitress, just for tonight, and he agrees in return for a small amount of cash. Well, it ought to work. Nobody ever pays much attention to the people serving them, do they? So, in a minute I am in a waitress uniform, and trying to find people in the vicinity of kei-kun and Na-chan who want serving.

The snag in my idea is soon obvious. Nobody near Kei-kun wants to be served. Lots of people on the other side of the room want to be served. Na-chan is ordering drinks, lots of drinks, but she is only interested in being served by one of the male waiters, who she calls "the hottie with the hops". It doesn't matter that he is on the other side of the room, she will shout out loudly for him, until he goes over to serve her. In the meantime I am being run off my feet elsewhere - this must be the busiest night of the year for this bar. The bar owner probably couldn't believe his luck when somebody actually offered to pay for the privilege of working for him tonight, it's no wonder that he leapt at the chance.

Soon, though, I don't have to be near to get the gist of what is being said. The drink is having its effect, and the voices are getting louder.

"You've been struggling for fifteen years to keep your promise to some girl you don't even know - that's dumb!"

"Wh-what's your problem? If I even breathe wrong you punch me!"

"If you didn't deserve being hit so much, I wouldn't punch you so much! Okay? Ugh, just looking at you makes me want to sock ya! You're a clumsy, lecherous fool, you're a whole three years older than me but you whine and bitch like a petulant child! You are a grade A, numero uno loser! I am nowhere near shocked that someone like you couldn't pass that test!"

By this stage, other people have stopped drinking and all over the room attention seems to be focussing on the one spot, the crowd anticipating some action. Unfortunately, they aren't disappointed. Calling him a pervert, Naru smashes her fist into Kei-kun's face, the hardest punch I have ever seen delivered by anyone, ever! He collapses onto the floor, and Naru stands over him.

She adds "And you know what? Even if a complete loser like you through some divine providence miraculously made it into Tokyo University, there's no way that girl would ever be happy with you!"

Oh, my Kei-kun, Naru is wrong, so wrong! You will make it, and I will be happy with you, I swear!

And now Kei-kun gets up, and he looks angry. It looks like it's his turn to say something hurtful. Oh, if only I could have had the courage to go up to them, before any of this happened! I don't want to see them hurting each other, but it seems like there's nothing I can do now except watch.

"Oh yeah? well you burned out your eyes so bad studying that you had to wear big ole' coke-bottle glasses and you still couldn't pass! Ha! And even if you had gotten into Tokyo U I doubt that certain person would even give you the time of day!"

What does he mean by "that certain person"? Is he talking about me? Why do they both seem to assume that I wouldn't want to be with them? I do want to be with them, it's only my stupid nervousness that's stopping me from saying so now! But my line of thought is interrupted by Naru. Her eyes are brimming with tears. I'm hoping she'll break down and hug Kei-kun and there'll be tearful apologies on both sides for what is really just a stupid beer-induced misunderstanding. But I'm afraid that something else is coming instead.

"Screw you!" she screams as she swings her handbag forcefully down onto the top of his head. "I loathe you! I never .. I never .. I never want to see your face again!" And with that she storms out, slamming the door of the bar behind her.

Oh, my! My poor Kei-kun, how you must be hurting inside! The place has suddenly become a lot quieter. It seems to be closing time, nearly everybody has either gone already or is heading for the exit. While one of the waiters is attending to Kei-kun, I take the opportunity to slip out and change out of my waitress guise. When I return, Kei-kun is still lying on the floor. The waiter is trying to get him to pay his bill, but I don't think he'll have much luck. I take a good look at Kei-kun, hoping he'll be all right, but the feeling stealing over me is one of deja vu.

I am able to bring kei-kun to his feet, but there is no awareness in his eyes. Again! It is exactly like the morning of the last exam. And the bar owner wants him to pay, but I don't think it would be safe to wake him up. "Well, if you don't want him to pay, then you can pay for him" the man says.

I agree, even though I think I've already given the bar owner enough, with my unpaid waitressing. But then I'm presented with a totally outrageous bill. "Ara!" I say, "I didn't say I'd pay everybody's tab!"

"This is what those two drank! It's all itemised! They had sake with their meal, then the girl had every aperitif on the menu, then there's all these beers ..."

And now I am angry. "Na-chan is underage! She's only seventeen! You had no right serving her all those drinks, and you made her say all those things she didn't mean, I bet if I mentioned it to the law they'd look carefully at your license!"

"Oh, er yes, my apologies. I think we have brought you the wrong bill by mistake. Yes, the girl did only drink iced oolong tea, now I come to think of it! Lots and lots of oolong tea, yes! And she didn't get drunk at all, of course, because she wasn't drinking! Please forget about our mistake, and we'll forget all about this bill, and we'll all be much happier, yes?"

And so a minute later, with history having been more-or-less amicably rewritten, I'm out in the street with a sleepwalking Keitaro. "Oh, Kei-kun!" I say, "I know you won't remember this when you wake, but at least I do get the chance now to talk to you, and maybe it will register at some level. You will make it into Tokyo U, I know you will, and I will too, because I am your promise girl! And I will be happy with you, I swear! I hope that somehow we will all be happy together, all three of us, with all the rash words forgotten!"

"I don't know why Naru has changed so much, but during the exams you said that she was always there for you, keeping the promise. I'll admit I felt jealous when I heard you say that, because I haven't always been there for you. I thought I might have lost out to Naru, through being away for so long. But I will be there for you in the future! I'm here for you now, if you could just wake up and see me!"

"What should I do now? I'd take you to your home, but I don't know where home is. Oh, now I see, there really isn't any choice is there? I'll lead you to my apartment, and you can sleep there, and when you wake up I can tell you all these things for real!"

I take his hand, and lead him gently in the direction of my rented apartment. There's not a lot of furnishings there, but I'll sort something out. Perhaps he can sleep under the kotatsu, the heated table? No, I'll do that, because it'll be warm enough but the floor under the kotatsu will be hard. He can have the futon.

I can't stop a sense of mounting excitement. Not only am I with my Kei-kun, I'm holding his hand, leading him towards my apartment, where we will spend what is left of the night, and then he will wake and I will introduce myself, and we will be properly together at last! So much, all at once! It's like a romantic novel! Of course, I tell myself, I'm not _really _making a move on Kei-kun. I'm just helping him out, the way any friend would. And then, there's what Naru said. I know it was in the heat of the moment, I know it was drink-fuelled, but still, perhaps it means that I don't have to worry about the fateful promise that I once made to her, the one promise that I regret. It seems strange, on one level I want to forgive Naru, and be friends with her again like when we were little, and I want Kei-kun to be friends with her too. But on another level she is becoming Naru, not Na-chan, in my mind. I'm finding it hard to think of her as the sweet, fragile but very determined Na-chan of my childhood.

Too many thoughts. I know what sometimes happens when my mind is filled with too many thoughts, but it mustn't happen now. I'm so close to my apartment, I mustn't have a blackout at the last minute. I must be calm, clear away the rising storm of thought which is threatening to engulf me. I close my eyes, and force myself to be calm.

"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeppppppppppppp!"

Oh my, there is so little traffic around at this hour of the night, I had forgotten that there is still some. I had forgotten that I was crossing the street! Suddenly I am wide awake, my eyes fully open, but there are no other vehicles to worry about, just the one car receding into the distance. Kei-kun seems to be stirring too. At first I'm not sure if he's awake or not. He has a determined look in his eye, instead of the vacant stare of a minute ago, but he shows no sign of recognising my presence beside him. He sets off at a brisk walk, fortunately not too brisk, so I am able to keep up with him. Unfortunately he is walking away from my apartment. Ara, ara! My dream, the dream that was so close, is getting further away!

And now we are at the train station. There's very few trains running at this time of night, though, and Kei-kun is just sitting on a bench. I'm sat on another bench nearby, watching him for signs of wakefulness. Presumably when things get busy again he will catch a train home. Perhaps I should just follow him there, and find out where home is, before I make any other moves. Actually, I'm still nervous about approaching him when he is awake.

Finally, Kei-kun does stir. He goes to the ticket booth and buys a ticket. Fortunately there isn't a queue at this time in the morning, so when I go up to the ticket booth shortly after Kei-kun has left it, I'm hoping to be the very next customer, but in fact there is one girl who gets to the kiosk just before I do. After she has been served I say to the attendant there, "excuse me, but my friend - not the girl you just served but the young man who was just before her - he was supposed to buy tickets for both of us, but he forgot and only bought one for himself".

"So that's yet another single to Kyoto, then?"

"Er, yes", I say, reaching for my wallet and praying that there's enough money in it. I wasn't anticipating a long journey, so I've come out with no credit card, and only enough money to tide me over for a short while. Fortunately I have enough for the ticket, and maybe for a night's stay in Kyoto if necessary, but after that ... well, I've never tried to get by without money before, I hope it won't come to that.

I debate the notion of dashing back to my apartment to at least get my credit card, but there isn't time, the train will be here any minute. I see Kei-kun standing on the platform waiting for it to arrive. He's fully awake now, obviously he had to be to buy the ticket. I could go up to him and talk to him, but I'm so _nervous_! And then, just as the train arrives he glances in my direction, and my heart leaps, but he doesn't seem to recognise me. There was a sudden gust of wind which blew my skirt up at that instant. Maybe he was distracted by the sudden wind, or by the arrival of the train - he did suddenly walk into the door of the train before it was opened, with quite a loud crash, making me worry that somehow he might still be sleepwalking; but of course, there's still no reason why he should recognise me anyway, and people can be clumsy in the early morning after a restless night. I know I just want to sleep now! It's such a long time since I slept!

Inside the train, I'm just across the aisle from Kei-kun and the girl who bought a ticket just after he did. Kei-kun has the same idea as me about wanting to sleep - he's leaning against the window, with a book covering his face.

And then I notice, the girl who I thought was a stranger ... isn't! Somehow she's changed her hairstyle and her outfit, making her look very different, but looking closely I can tell, it's Naru. Strange, I had thought she would be hung over and fast asleep at home now, but instead she is here, apparently wide awake.

Shortly after the train set off, Naru got up and went to the end of the carriage, maybe to make a phone call, or maybe to visit the lavatory there. A minute later, Kei-kun got up and headed in the same direction. I couldn't resist following, to see if they would meet up, and what would happen if they did.

They were making phone calls, Naru with a mobile phone and Kei-kun with the public phone that was installed in the train. I saw Naru hand Kei-kun a phonecard so he could use the public phone, which was card-only. I couldn't hear what was said, but presumably they were just letting friends and family know what they were up to.

They finish their calls, but then a waitress barges through with a trolley, and manages to knock them both over. She doesn't even stop to see if they are OK. After they have been down for a few seconds I step forward to check that they aren't hurt, but I can see that they are fine, they're just looking for their glasses which they've both dropped. I realise that if I don't do something they'll maybe recognise me, from the exams or from the bar or whatever, and they'll think I've been stalking them. well I suppose maybe I have, but ... Thinking quickly, I notice that the serving-trolley has been left just beside me. Maybe I can do my waitress impersonation again! It does seem to be true, that nobody notices a waitress. I grab the trolley, and run with it, and I succeed in knocking Kei-kun and Naru down a second time. Ara! I abandon the trolley, and, shouting "sorry" , I run back to my seat before my clumsiness and tiredness can make matters any worse.

I lie back in my seat with my hat covering my head, trying to sleep but there's no way that I can. The next few hours are just a blur. Since the giving of the phone card Naru and Kei-Kun seem to have made up their differences, and to be getting along very well. I suppose I should be happy about that. I just wish I wasn't so tired, and that I could understand what is happening. Can such a simple gift really make so much difference?

When we get to Kyoto, separately but almost together, they both go to the same hotel, presumably to check in. They then explore the city, with me shadowing them. Sometimes they seem to separate, and I have to follow just one of them, but they always meet up again at the next landmark.Finally they return to the hotel where they checked in earlier.

I enter the hotel shortly afterwards and try to book a room.

"I'm sorry, everything's taken. We're fully booked up!"

"Oh please check again. Ara, but I'm just so tired, if you have anything at all, I'll be very grateful!"

"Oh my, you do look beat!" says the little old lady who runs the place. "Just wait here a little while and I'll see what I can do."

A few minutes later, she returns with some good news.

"There was a couple who were in separate rooms, I've persuaded them to share, I really don't know why they weren't sharing in the first place, and so now there's a room free. And I have some special food too, which I'm sure you will like, which should help take that tiredness away!"

The food really was special, maybe a bit too special. I had to turn down the snapping-turtle's blood, and I could tell from the way my bag was rising up into the air that Tama-chan was upset and I'd have to spend some time trying to soothe her. But the sleep afterwards, when it finally came, was most welcome. First, even though I was desperately tired, I made sure the alarm was set for early, so I wouldn't miss the departure of Kei-kun and Na-chan (if they've reconciled their differences, maybe she should be Na-chan again), and then I hit the bed and went out like a light.

The next day, Kei-kun and Na-chan did a little more sightseeing, then headed for Kyoto train station. Where to next? I wonder. But wherever it is, the moment of truth has arrived for me. I can't put it off any longer, no matter how nervous or unprepared I am. I have to introduce myself properly to Kei-kun and Na-chan, if only because I don't have enough money on me for any more train journeys, or for anything else.

This is the moment I've waited so long for, but somehow I'm dreading it. I know that since they haven't seen me for so long, this will be like a first impression. First impressions count for so much! I have to be calm, and act natural. Say something sensible.

"My goodness, this place is huge, much more so than I imagined! Even wider than in the pictures!"

Was that my voice? Did I really say that?

"Miss Otohime, is that you?"

That was Kei-kun's voice!

"Yeah, hi!" I reply.

Do I have a really goofy grin? I think so, but there's nothing I can do about it. The smile is unstoppable, it is taking over my face. He knows my name! How is that possible? He's waving, and smiling at me. He knows my name! Excuse me, but you've had that thought already. He knows my name! Didn't you hear me? I said ... He knows my name! He knows! My! He knows! He. H...

We apologise for this interruption. Normal brain operations will be resumed as soon as possible.

* * *

To the reviewers:  
To Liber Logaeth: Hi. I forgot to explain about the "protectress". Sorry about that. She's only mentioned briefly in the Manga, near the start of book 7. Motoko is trying to exorcise Mutsumi's bad luck when she discovers that Mutsumi has "a goddess for a guardian", the "peaceful vision of the bodhisattva". But the Manga dosn't expand any further on this. Strictly speaking, a bodisattva is not a god or goddess, but is a person who is destined to become a Buddha. However, there are celestial bodhisattvas which in East Asia are treated almost the same as gods and goddesses. The female bodhisattva is also known as the goddess of mercy, and in Japan she is called Kannon, or Shokanzeon Bosatsu.

To Shinji: I'd like Mutsumi to be the winner this time, but I can't promise anything, sorry. I haven't plotted this story out in advance in every detail, and I suspect it might end up taking me in a direction where I don't want to go. My Mutsumi (and, I think, the "real" Mutsumi) is smart, knowledgeable and determined, but she is still saddled with a childhood promise to Naru that she now regrets, and she takes all her promises very seriously.


	6. Nothing, and again, nothing

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 6. Nothing. Again, nothing.

* * *

I'm lying across a bank of the seats in the station cafeteria, recovering. Not the best of starts to my renewed relationship! I suppose this was always likely to happen, but I don't want Na-Chan and Kei-kun to think of me as an invalid. It's their friendship I'm hoping for, not their sympathy.

"I'm sorry", I say. "I've always been a bit delicate - you see, ever since I was a child I've been prone to light headedness and anemia".

Well it's maybe not the full story, but I suppose it's true enough.

I sit up, adding "but I feel just fine now."

Actually, now that the ice has finally been broken, I feel more than fine ... even though I'm not sure if I could stand up.

Kei-kun says "You should try to take it easy".

Oh, he is still my Kei-kun, he still cares about me! And, looking at him, it's like he hasn't changed at all.

Suddenly, in my imagination, I'm back in the sandpit with my two playmates. There's just one thing spoiling the picture. So, I reach over to Kei-kun, and I remove his glasses, and now time melts away completely. I'm in the moment where I've just told him "they say if two people who love each other get into Tokyo University ...". All I have to do now is kiss him, and he will blush like he did that first time. And his eyes, his whole face ... they're just so cute! I am drawn like a magnet, or maybe like a moth to a flame ...

"Hey!"

Ara! I was so close .. but I mustn't! That yell from Naru reminds me that it wouldn't be fair to her. I can tell from the anguish in her voice that I almost stepped over the line ... maybe I did step over the line. Yes. Now, how can I make up for my mistake? How can I put things right?

"I'm so sorry", I say to Kei-kun "you're so cute. Are you eighteen yet?"

Of course I know he is more than eighteen, but he just seems so much like the young Kei-kun of my memories, that knowing and believing are two different things.

"Hey I'm twenty!" he replies. "Don't you remember? We met at Tokyo U!"

"Oh yes, I remember - but I only saw you for a second or two then. By the way, I'm sorry about bumping into you back then, it's just that I'm so clumsy. But, you must remember me from some time before then, because you know my name!"

"Oh, that! When I knocked you over before the test - and it was me that bumped into you by the way, not the other way round, and I'm really sorry about that - well you were unconscious for a minute or so just like today. And when you were coming out of it, you repeated your name and your examination entrance number over and over to yourself, as if you didn't want to forget them".

Ara. Well, that would explain it. But, I had been really hoping for something more.

"Still, I think ..."

but my next words are interrupted, because I knock over the glass of cola which is in front of me, and it all goes into Naru's lap. Oh dear!

Kei-kun says "I've got a handkerchief somewhere" - and knocks his glass over too.

"Aaaauuuu!" squeals Naru, now thoroughly drenched.

"I am so sorry Naru!" I say, at about the same time as Kei-kun says it.

Oops. Will they ask now how I know Naru's name?

Kei is too preoccupied to notice my slip. Naru is too upset to notice, but I can tell that she is unhappy about my presence here. She is suspicious about me, as if she can sense that I might come between her and her Keitaro. I made a big mistake when I almost kissed Kei-kun, and another big mistake with my clumsiness just now. Everything is going wrong! Perhaps it was a mistake to chase after them like this. Perhaps I should cut my losses, and take my leave. There's always next year, I suppose.

"Well, thanks again you two, Goodbye!"

"Take care Mutsumi! See you around!" Keitaro replies.

And I walk away, not really caring about the direction I head in. Does it matter? See you around, Kei-kun, Na-chan. Yes, maybe at next year's tests. Maybe. If with my empty wallet I can get back to Tokyo .. Back to my empty rented apartment there, and my empty life..

If only I could have asked them for their addresses, or given them my address, or told them all I know about the promises we once made, or anything! But I know if I'd done anything like that it would have raised Naru's suspicions even more.

After a while it occurs to me that maybe I should care about where I'm going, so I look ahead, and see the station cafe, with Naru and Kei-kun still sat at their table. Oops! I must have gone in a big circle. I turn around and walk away again, this time trying hard to make sure I turn neither to the right nor to the left.

A big circle? In a giant train station there are no big circles. None that don't lead over the edge of a platform, anyway. Is it possible that in my wanderings I almost became a statistic? But no, that isn't possible, I still have my protectress to look after me. I close my eyes to reassure myself of her presence.

Nothing.

I'm in a panic now, running almost randomly, but not blindly. I'm watching very carefully where my feet land, making sure I don't go too near the edge of any platforms. I just want to get out, but the station seems to have grown to world-filling proportions, or maybe I have shrunk. It's a nightmare, without an end. I pinch myself to check that I'm still awake, and I am. I run, and run, until I trip and fall...

... and land on Kei-kun's shoulder. Somehow I am back at the cafe yet again. I wrap my arms around him. I don't want to let go, ever.

"Mutsumi, what are you doing?" asks Kei-kun.

"I'm sorry, I'm still not feeling very well."

"I have had enough!" yells Naru, bringing her fists down onto the table. Unfortunately this causes the other side of the table to flip up into the air, catching Kei-kun with what looks like a very painful blow under the chin. We both go crashing down to the ground, where we lie, Kei-kun and me, me with my arms still around him. It could be a moment to savour, except that my mind is still filled with thoughts of panic, and I feel very faint and ill. Where is my protectress?

A minute or so later we are all sat around the table again.

Naru says "Goodness! Are you OK? You really shouldn't be travelling alone with such frail health - it could be dangerous."

"I know", I reply, "I've just been so depressed since I failed the exam to get into Tokyo U that I've been walking in circles".

"You failed too?" asks Naru.

"Hey," says Keitaro "we failed the exam for Tokyo U too and that's why we're here on vacation."

Naru adds "Yeah. This guy here failed three times already."

"That's really bad" I say. "Wow, you're really dumb". I hope he can tell I didn't mean that seriously.

"As dumb as they come, you can say that again" is Naru's reply. I thought she would have stood up for him. I hope she isn't any more serious than I was.

Time to drop my first bombshell, I suppose. "Well I shouldn't talk - this is the third time in a row I've failed the exam!"

"You mean you failed the test after taking it three years in a row?"

"That's right!"

Suddenly kei-kun brightens up. At last, it seems like I've said the right thing. He is so happy to have met someone who is so much like him. Soon we are comparing our records of failure, each trying to outdo the other.

"Get a load of this. I am so dumb that in December my scores were only 50!"

"Oh yeah? Well I got 49, just try and top that!"

And so on. I am so happy now. But, the moment can't last, and soon I am lying down again feeling totally exhausted.

"Shouldn't we make sure that she gets home OK wherever that is?" says Naru to Keitaro. "Come to think of it, where is her home anyway?"

I know I should tell them about my apartment in Tokyo. But I can sense that the moment I do that Naru will make sure I get a ticket for the next train back to Tokyo, and she will continue her tour with Kei-kun. The Tokyo trains are frequent at this time of day. In just minutes I could be saying goodbye to my new-found friends, and goodbye to my new-found feeling of happiness.

"Okinawa, that's where." I say.

"Aauh? Okinawa?"

The next few days are a total blur. There was a bit more shock for Naru when I explained that I had mislaid my wallet, and then Keitaro found that he had mislaid his wallet too. The only one of us who actually had access to any money was Naru. I felt uncomfortable about relying on her generosity, but I did assure her that I would pay her back just as soon as I got home.

From then on it was all hitching rides in the backs of lorries, usually ones which turned out to be going the wrong way. Everywhere seems to look the same when viewed from the back of a lorry, and all the towns just merged into one. The only place that does stand out in my mind is Nagoya, because there we did actually get to see some of the sights. I'm afraid I made another gaffe by trying to show off my extensive knowledge of Nagoya castle, a small part of the legacy of my years of intensive studying. This just made Kei-kun think that I was a local, and that they had finally managed to deliver me safely home. Even after Naru corrected him, I don't think he was impressed by my encyclopedic knowledge. He is most comfortable with me when I am an even more impressive failure than he is, so perhaps I shouldn't try too hard to impress him.

In Nagoya I was also able to slip away briefly and tie up some loose ends by making a couple of reverse-charges phone calls. one to my landlord asking him to pack up my belongings and ship them to Okinawa, and add the shipping costs (and the cost of the reverse charge phone call) to my bill. And then another call, this time to home.

"Hi Mom. No, I'm sorry, I didn't pass. No, I haven't lost all my money or my credit card, I just had to set off on a journey without bringing them with me. I'm sure they'll get home eventually. So I'm having to borrow, and to sleep in the back of a lorry. I don't actually know when I'll be home. No, I don't think it's affecting my health, I'm really feeling great - but I did collapse three times in Kyoto train station. The best news is, I did find Na-Chan and Kei-Kun! I'm bringing them along with me. I've a feeling they won't stay for long, but please make sure that the guest accomodation is ready. Thanks, mom! I love you mom!"

The only other incident that sticks in my mind from this hobo-like journey across Japan is when we were in the back of a lorry and I was resting, and the others thought I was asleep. Naru and Kei were arguing about me, as I thought they might. What made my heart skip a beat was when Naru said to Kei "I already told you, there's nothing between us". Did she really mean it? Dare I ask her myself? "Na-chan, there was a time when we were very little, and you loved Kei-kun, and I loved him too, but he loved you more than anything. I promised you then that I wouldn't stand in your way, that you could marry him. If there really is nothing between you now, then will you release me from that promise? Please?" No, I can't do it. I'm too afraid of what her answer will be. Some day I will have to do it, perhaps, but not now.

And then the lorry braked suddenly, and Kei-kun fell over and accidentally landed on top of Na-chan, and I could see from the look in his eyes as he gazed at her in that moment: Even if she didn't care about him, he cared about her. Could he ever care the same way about me?

* * *

Finally we are aboard the ferry heading for Okinawa. At last, we have a cabin with bunk beds, and access to showers. It's not the most luxurious accomodation, but it looks like luxury to me now. I will certainly be making use of the washroom facilities ... but first, while everyone else on deck is enjoying the beautiful view of mount Sakurajima receding into the distance, I go to the front of the boat and take Tama-chan out of my bag. "Sorry to keep you cooped up for so long, Tama-chan, but I think it would have been awkward to explain you. Please fly on ahead, and let my family know that I'll be home soon".

"Myuh."

Tama-chan kisses my nose and then, with a wave of her flipper, she flies off into the distance.

Then I check the other contents of my bag. Yes, I may not have any money or credit cards, but I do have the document that I am never without. I make my way towards the ship's bridge. But then I realise .. first things first. I go for a shower, and then I make my way again towards the bridge.

I know this ship. The captain, as it happens, is a friend of the family. We have a lot of maritime connections, so I suppose it's inevitable that I would know the odd captain or two. He's pleased to see me, and happy to spare me a few minutes, but concerned when I explain what I want him to do.

"Sure, I'll witness the alteration" he says, "but are you sure you don't want to get it drawn up by properly by a solicitor? This is a very big change."

"Well, they're very good friends, and they've helped me a lot. And they have a dream of getting into Tokyo university. I want to be sure I can help them with that dream, even if the worst comes to the worst."

"But, you're young. Do you really need to worry about things like that?"

"I've been feeling very frail recently".

"I'm sorry to hear that, Otohime-san. If there's anything I can do .. would you like to dine at my table?"

"Thank you very much for the offer, Takahashi-san" I reply, "but I think I'd like to spend some time just getting to know my friends".

"As you wish, but .. you look like you need feeding up, perhaps that is why you are feeling so frail. Please help yourself to as much as you want from the first-class restaurant - If anybody says anything, just mention my name."

"Ara, thank you so much, Takahashi-san. And thank you for witnessing my signature. I hope I'll see you again soon. I suppose I'd better let you get back to running the ship for now, though. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Otohime-san. Take care."

And, placing my newly-amended, signed and witnessed last will and testament back in my bag, I set off in search of Na-chan and Kei-kun.

They're on the deck, having an argument about something or other. I'll join them in a short while, but first I need a pause for reflection. Putting my bag down so it won't get soaked by the spray, I walk up to the bow of the ship, where there's a good sea breeze which I hope will invigorate me.

It's getting dark rapidly. Looking back, I can still see the mainland, which is now illuminated, as if with fairy lights. There seem to be lights in the sea, too. It's like ... I think again of my favourite fairy tale. I am the delicate and sweet-looking princess Otohime, and my Coral Palace lies just below the dancing shimmering waves. It is a most special place, with glittering and shining coral towers, and fishes of every colour, and it holds all of the treasures of the sea! When the hero Taro Urashima sees the wonders of my kingdom, he will be entranced, and want to stay forever,surely ? But, I remember, the story doesn't actually end like that. Taro enjoys his time at the Coral Palace, but he feels a great longing for his own people. He leaves the beautiful princess to go in search of his people, never to return. And the princess Otohime cries for her loss, and her tears fill the sea, and that is why the sea is salty.

Ara, why is it that all the stories I know have sad endings? And, is this a story that I am destined to relive? Must I lose my Taro Urashima? My tears fall, to join those of the beautiful princess.

And with that, it occurs to me that I am too close to the railing. I shouldn't really be leaning over it, not in my state of health. Normally I would be safe, with my protectress to look after me, but where is she now? I close my eyes and look for her again.

Again, nothing.

What would happen if I fell overboard now? What would the captain think? He would think that I had changed my will because I intended to commit suicide, and that he had unwittingly assisted me. Ara, I would not do that to you, Takahashi-san! And my friends, Kei-kun and Na-chan, what would they think? My will might help them a little towards the achieving of their dream, but they would never understand. Would they ever be able to forgive me?

I push against the rail, to propel myself backwards, away from it. But there is no strength in my arms any more. My whole body feels limp. And suddenly the deck is tilted at an impossible angle, becoming more and more vertical. Or maybe it is my body that is tilting. The last things I see, before my senses fade away, are the deck on the other side of the railing, and, seemingly above me, the glittering, beckoning lights of my kingdom beneath the sea.

* * *

Hi all. I don't think there were any reviews that require a specific answer, so I'll just say thanks for the positive reviews! Please continue to let me know what you think, whether good or bad.  



	7. Floundering

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 7. Floundering.

I'm lying on the deck of the ferry, recovering once again - but I don't understand. The fall that I remember should surely have been my last. Why am I still alive? The last time I saw this deck, it was from the other side of the ship's railing.

"Hmm? Wow, did I pass out again just now?"

"You were about to fall into the sea!"

Ara! That's Kei-kun's voice. He must have caught me somehow, but how?

"Oh goodness me! I think that would be quite dangerous!"

Why is that the best thing that I can come up with to say? My mind is in a turmoil. He saved my life! And how did he even manage to be close enough to catch me? Just a short while earlier he had been some distance away, with Naru. But never mind about that, how is not important, the important thing is, he saved my life! The enormity of that thought is so great, there's little room in my mind for anything else. He saved my life!

There's a critical part of my mind which complains whenever I have the same thought over and over, as often happens just before a blackout. I expect it to kick in now...

He saved your life! Don't just stand there, thank him for it. He saved your life! Thank him for it! He..

Oh.

"Thank you, Urashima! You saved my life! I owe you more than I could ever repay you!"

"Er, you aren't ... unhappy, that I stopped you?"

What? What can he mean? ... Oh, I see.

"No, I assure you that my fall was not deliberate, and I have never been more glad of anyone's intervention. Don't worry, I would never take my own life".

"But about the envelope in your bag! It had final testament written on it."

He saw that. Perhaps I should have pushed it down further into the bag - oh, but if he hadn't seen it then he probably wouldn't have been in a position to save me. Thinking about it, I'm really glad that he did see the envelope - and that he didn't get to read the contents. I thought my luck would desert me when my protectress disappeared, but obviously that hasn't happened. Maybe it's residual luck, still clinging to me now even in the absence of my protectress? If so, how long can it last?

But now, even though I really don't want Kei to know the full extent of my frailty, it seems there's no choice.

"Oh that. Well, since my body's so weak, There's no knowing when I might just, you know, croak. Just in case."

There were some doubts in my mind, once. Such as: What if Kei-kun has changed over the years? Why does Na-chan describe him as a pervert and an idiot? Could there be some grain of truth in what she says? Should I really be basing my life plan on promises I made as a child, fifteen years ago? But now all those doubts are gone. Naru is wrong. Keitaro is still the heroic and gentle Kei-kun that I know, and if there is any way that I can be his, then I will find that way. And if not, well... what matters is his happiness, and what he wants.

In our cabin, shortly afterwards, I lean over Kei-kun's shoulder to see what he is looking at (and, to be honest, because I just want to bask in his presence). It's an album of print club photos. And - I can't believe it - it's just like my own album.

"Would you like to see my album?" .. "Really? You like print club booths too?" ... "All of mine are by myself, see?" .. "Wow, just like me" ... "I can't resist the regional frames" ... "I found a Gamera-3 frame in Kyoto" ...

Once again we have a perfect meeting of minds. Our shared hobby gives us a topic of conversation that could keep us occupied and happy for a long time. Only ... I'm not sure that I'll ever want to take a photo of myself alone in the future. I have to ask:

"Would you like to take a print club picture with me tomorrow? In commemoration of our meeting?"

"Huh? I mean um m...of course."

He agreed! I can't believe it! When I have a picture of myself with him, I will treasure it so much. It will have pride of place, on a page all by itself. I'm thinking this as I turn the page of his album ...

Oh.

Oh...

How can one tiny print club picture be so devastating?

"Tell me the truth, you have a big crush on Naru, don't you?"

The redness of his face tells me all I need to know; as if I didn't know already.

"I knew it. I'll help you tell her".

And I did tell her, when I found her later in the showers. It was the hardest thing I have ever done, but I care too much about Kei-kun to allow him to just pine away with his thoughts kept to himself, and Naru is a friend too. I hope that she would do the same for me, if the roles were reversed. I hope I did the right thing; and I hope I can still win, despite doing the right thing. If only I could tell Kei how I feel about him. If only I wasn't bound by my childhood promise to Naru!

* * *

And now we are finally on Okinawa island - in Naha, the main port, to be precise. I would like to show my friends the sights of the town, not least in the hope of passing a print club photo-booth, but Naru is eager to get me home and to get herself and Keitaro away as soon as possible, and she is effectively in charge. I take them in the direction of the local ferry terminal, explaining that I actually live on an island very close by, but Naru decides that she can't afford to spend any more. I tell her that it's just a short journey, and that I'll pay her back when I get home, but Naru is adamant. So another short hitch-hike puts us at the point on the main island which is closest to my island. 

While Naru and Keitaro are admiring the beach and adjacent quay, I get the family's emergency inflatable raft out of our quayside locker. They are surprised to see me inflating the raft.

"Where did you get that from?"

"Oh it's just something I always keep on me in case of emergencies" I reply.

"Ara, just kidding. The family has a locker here, and this raft is kept in it for emergencies just like the one we're facing now."

"Are you sure it's safe to go into the open ocean on a thing like that?"

"Oh, I have done it before, with my father. It really isn't too far to our island".

Well, that was what I thought. But it doesn't take long for me to realise the importance of having a good rower. My strength is soon exhausted, and Kei-kun is not an expert in rowing, and Na-chan doesn't seem to want to try. This is turning into a very long day. And without my protectress (and I have tried several times now to see if I can contact her) I could even have put my friends and myself into danger, because of my moment's thoughtlessness. The thought of that makes me feel cold in the pit of my stomach.

"Ara, I see your point now! My bad!"

Still, we are together. I'm sure we'll be OK if we all support one another.

Kei tries to break through the feeling of depression that was settling over us, by changing the subject: "Mutsumi? This might seem like an odd thing to bring up at a time like this, but ... are you planning to go for Tokyo University next year?"

"Oh yes, I certainly intend to."

"Wow, that's amazing"

"What about you, Urashima?"

"Well I'm still debating what to do. I mean it'll be my third year"

Oh dear. You've been so determined, for fifteen years. Could the promise really be fading from your mind now, just as it is so close to being fulfilled?

There's no option now. I have to remind Kei-kun about the promise, which means I have to tell him and Na-chan about my part in it.

"Oh, I ..."

But Na-chan interrupts: "Not to be rude, but let's talk about things of a less pressing nature after we get out of this little predicament?"

She may have a point, but unfortunately this soon leads to another argument between her and Kei-kun.

" .. You don't have to be so snippy. The reason we're here in the first place is because you were too cheap to pay for a real boat."

"Oh, if we're playing the blame game, then you losing your wallet has just as much to do with this as me being cheap!"

"I didn't choose to lose my wallet!"

.. and so on, with enough animation to make me fear it would come to blows. And then "Oh my God! We're sinking!" "We must have sprung a leak!"

It's a good job we're so close to my island, Something must still be looking after me.

"We're gonna drown!"

"Noooo!"

"Ara, what do you mean? There's no need for panic. We're nearly there!"

But Na-chan and Kei-kun are floundering, and don't seem to notice what I'm saying. They fall overboard, and start flailing about in the water.

Ara, how can they not see? And then I realise ... Kei-kun, because he was rowing, was facing away from the direction we were going in. And Na-chan isn't wearing her glasses.

"Please, don't struggle in the water. Just hold on to the raft, and everything will be OK".

But they continue to struggle. "Kei-kun, Na-chan, please don't drown! I'm sorry that I did this to you. I promise it will never happen again!"

I dive off the raft and try to drag them to the shore. Fortunately the water is shallow enough so I can wade, I don't have to try to swim while dragging two struggling bodies. Even so, I do get hit a few times, and being on the receiving end of Naru-punches makes me understand for the first time what it must be like for Kei-kun. Finally I get them ashore, they're both alive, but they've both swallowed some water and are limp and unresponsive. I give them both CPR until they are breathing normally and have normal pulses. When I'm fairly sure that they're going to be OK, I wade out again and pull the waterlogged raft ashore.

* * *

"Hi mom! I'm back, but we're on the beach, and I'd like to stay there with my friends for a while. I've just come in to find two swimming costumes, one for me and one for Na-chan. And maybe a little dry firewood." 

"Let me guess, Mu-chan. You think you have a better figure than Na-chan, and you want Kei-kun to notice? You really don't need to try so hard."

"Ara, you know me too well, mom! Actually Na-chan has a very good-looking body, especially her legs, but my waist is narrower than hers and my boobs are bigger. I hope Kei-kun appreciates an hour-glass figure."

"By the way, Mu-chan, there's a letter for you just arrived today that might be interesting. It's postmarked Hinata. You never told me if you got to see Granny Hina there."

"Oh, sorry mom, I forgot. Granny Hina isn't there any more, and the place is an all-girl's dormitory instead of an inn."

I read the letter:

"Dear Ms Otohime,

I'm the woman who runs the tea-house near Hinata-sou. I'm sorry that I didn't get to see you when you were here, but I was actually in the Hinata-sou, trying to keep the old place in order. It's amazing that our paths didn't cross.

I vaguely remember an Otohime family from Okinawa that stayed at the inn when I was younger. Are you their daughter? If so, please give my regards to your family. It is my nephew Keitaro who you really wanted to see, because he is the kanrinin now, but he wasn't well when you called. He has since recovered, but he has disappeared on a trip so in his absence I am dealing with the Hinata-sou's correspondence.

I'm afraid I can't help you at all with your inquiry, because although I do have some registers they are for an annex that was boarded up years before the time that you are interested in. If there are any registers for the main Hinata inn, then only Granny Hina knows where they are, and she hasn't left a forwarding address. Sorry about that. I hope you find what you are looking for anyway.

Sincerely,

Haruka Urashima"

Wow. You have helped me more than you could ever realise, Haruka-san. Thank you.

I pass the letter to my mother, because I know she will be curious about it, and I go to find the things I need before returning to the beach.

* * *

Back on the beach, I see that Naru is up and about already, so I explain to her that I've been to gather some firewood, and together we build a fire near Keitaro, so he won't get a chill. Then I tell her that I just happen to have a spare bathing costume, and after checking that Kei is genuinely still out and not peeking she hides behind a rock (just in case) and changes. And then we have a really fun time, playing on the beach and splashing about in the water. All we really need now is for Kei to join us, and I think my happiness will be complete. And now, Kei is awake and sitting up. 

"Hey! How About it? Keitaro, why don't you come and join me for a swim?" I shout.

It's really going to happen! All three of us together, playing and having fun. I'm so excited. And, during a very long day, I've managed to do some strenous rowing, and to rescue my friends, without collapsing. Maybe even my health is on the mend! Things are really looking up. But in that case, why is everything turning grey? Oh.

Once again I'm lying down, recovering from a collapse. But this time I nearly drowned; and the same is true of yesterday's collapse. And it's happening at least once a day now. In Kyoto it was three times in the space of just a few minutes. And I no longer have a protectress. Where are you, protectress? Did I say or do something wrong, to make you go away? The way things are going, I'll have to stay at home for my own safety. But what then about Tokyo U? What about my promises? What about all the things that I wanted? And, even if I could get everything else that I wanted, would I want my Kei-kun to marry an invalid?

But I don't want to upset my friends with thoughts like that, so I say: "I'm sorry. I guess that I just overdid it again."

"I'm gonna go get some more water" Says Naru.

"Good Idea. Thanks Naru" replies Kei, and Naru goes off on her quest.

"Are you cold Mutsumi? Is there anything I could do?"

"Thanks Keitaro. I'm fine now".

Just your presence here is enough to make me feel better.

But Naru is gone for a while, and as the minutes pass I think about what Kei-kun has said. Is there anything he could do? "Keitaro", I say. Once again I reach up and remove the glasses from his face. Once again time melts away, and we are five-year-olds making a fateful promise, a promise that is to be sealed with a kiss. He seems to be transfixed, but I am not holding him. He could break away easily at any time, but he does not. I lean forwards ...

No! What about the promise to Naru?

But this could be my last chance! If my failing health keeps me here. If my dreams die here, I won't have even a print club sticker to remind me of what might have been. Naru will have him for the rest of her life! All I want is this one moment to treasure... and so my lips meet his, and he does blush just like that first time, fifteen years ago. This is .. what .. my third kiss? Not counting family and Tama-chan, of course. First was with Kei-kun, second was with Na-chan. No, I realise, this is a continuation of my first kiss. In this timeless moment, a single kiss that spans fifteen years and will be remembered in the decades to come.

"Auugh! What are you doing?"

says Keitaro, as he leaps up. And suddenly Naru is back and she drops the bottle of water that she is carrying.

"Naru! It's not what you think!" wails Keitaro, as Naru runs and he chases after her.

And I am alone.

"Guess I messed things up again" I say, to no-one.

I suppose I had been hoping that he would return the passion: embrace me, prolong the kiss, or something. That's what happens in the films, and the romantic novels. I might have settled for anything except "Auugh! What are you doing?" - but perhaps the response I got was no more than what I deserved. I was breaking my promise to Naru, after all. I wasn't stepping aside and letting her win. What a promise to be saddled with.

I have to talk to Naru about that promise! I have to ask her to nullify it!

But, judging by Keitaro's response just now, I'll have a real mountain to climb if I want to win him. Judging by my state of health, I won't live long enough anyway. It does seem to be Naru and Kei that are destined for one another. Perhaps I should leave it at that.

My train of thought is disturbed by a shout of "Keitaro", in an unfamiliar voice. There's a boat just offshore. I recognise two of the girls on deck as ones that I met when I visited Hinata-sou, so presumably the others are from there too. Will the ones who have seen me before recognise me? But they don't seem to notice me, their attention is focused only on Naru and Keitaro.

They're telling Naru and Keitaro not to commit a love-pact suicide. Good advice, I suppose. I can't imagine Na-chan and Kei-kun needing it, but it works wonders for my depressed state of mind. Na-chan and Kei-kun must both be special people, to have such special friends who will seek them out through thick and thin - and how did they find them? It seems impossible.

And now, because surprises never come singly, I see also my uncle's trawler, hoving around the headland at the end of the beach, just offshore. He's waving to me, and his dog is on deck too, tail wagging. I'm reminded of all the family and friends I have here, and suddenly I feel much better.

"Uncle! Pochi!" I wave to them.

"Mutsumi, it's good to see you! I didn't think you'd be back yet!"

"Nice to see you too" I shout, as the trawler continues into the distance. It's a pity we can't have a longer conversation, but obviously there are fish that have to be caught.

"Back?" says Naru.

I've been rumbled.

"Oh, I thought this place looked familiar! It isn't really a deserted island. It's really the back of my own island. My house must be just over that ridge! Sorry about that."

Naru is very eager to leave, and wants to swim out to the boat where her friends are aboard. I only just manage to persuade Naru and Kei that my family's house has a couple of very nice guest rooms, and that they should sleep in a comfortable bed for once. The boat can moor up in the harbour just around the headland, and they can board it tomorrow without having to get wet. And I ask them when they will be departing, so I can set my alarm for before then. I wouldn't want to miss their departure!

* * *

House. Sleep. Alarm. They are so eager to leave. Dawn has only just broken, but they are up and ready to go. 

I have to give my friends something, a gift which they will keep and treasure, and which will remind them of me and of this island. The gift of the princess to Taro in the fairy story was special, but it wasn't enough to entice him back to her. But what can I give, that would be better?

And then I remember, the ending of the fairy story may have been sad, but the rest of it was happy. And, it was a turtle who led Taro to the Princess in the first place.

"Tama-chan, you are my friend, and I won't do this unless you agree; I want to give you to Kei-kun and Na-chan, so you can help them like you've helped me."

"Myuh"

"Tama-chan, I know you will enjoy life with my friends. They have their very own hot spring for you to play in, and they will look after you and love you just as much as I do. Please, Tama-chan, look after them and their friends. They are your family now. And I will try to get to Hinata and visit you just as soon as I can. Goodbye."

* * *

Then the Lady Otohime gave Urashima Taro a beautiful Tamate-box and said, "Please accept this gift as a token of farewell. It will bring you great luck, if you keep it unopened."

* * *

Ara, those are words from the fairy tale! But my words to Kei-kun are similar, only this is a box to be opened, and no misfortune can befall from the opening of it. I pray that this makes it a better gift than the one in the story. 

And then, for Na-chan, to make up for all the pain I have caused her, a kiss.

And then it's goodbye.

As I walk back from the harbour to my house, I wonder if I have done the right thing. I've given a special gift, but is that enough? And if it isn't ...

Am I destined to give away all of my friends, one after another? First Liddo-kun, and then kei-kun, and today Tama-chan, and who-knows-what tomorrow?

I know, I know, a Liddo-kun doll isn't a friend, but it was to a five-year-old girl who watched all the episodes and sang all the songs. Na-chan was The Professor, and I was Big Dummy, and Kei-kun was Liddo-kun, and the doll was Liddo-kun too. And in the end I gave away not just one Liddo-kun, but two. I never realised it before, but maybe the name of my Liddo-kun cartoon character persona was/is too accurate as a description of me.

* * *

I get back to the house and mom is there, smiling. 

"I'm sorry you didn't get to see my friends, mom. They were so eager to leave, they got up almost before dawn".

"Oh but I did get to see them, silly! You didn't think I could resist taking a peek, knowing they were on the beach?"

"Does that mean you saw ... everything?"

"Of course. That's why I wasn't at home when you took your friends to the guest rooms. You beat me home. By the way, was that our emergency raft that I saw on the beach?"

"Yes"

"Oh, but nobody has used that since the road bridge was completed, so nobody has checked it out for leaks for at least a couple of years. It could have been dangerous! I hope you won't do that again!"

"Ara, I'm sorry mom".

"And why did you use it anyway? Oh, I can guess .. you didn't tell them about the road bridge, did you?"

"Ara, I suppose it just slipped my mind. Er, what did you think of Na-chan and Kei-kun anyway?" I ask, trying desperately to change the subject.

"I think I can see now what has been driving you, and also why you have been holding yourself back in your exams. You have made a good choice, I think, but I suspect that Na-chan will provide you with stiff competition. And if he is kanrinin of a girl's dorm, who can say what other competition there will be, that you don't know about yet? I think that even though you've only just got home, you need to visit Hinata soon."

"Thanks mum. I'm so glad that you always understand. But, my health has been bad, especially over the last few days. I may not be well enough to go anywhere for a while."

"Then you'd better have a lie down, and rest. I think you push yourself too hard, and people don't realise because of your happy-go-lucky appearance. You've just had a tough journey! Relax!"

And so I'm lying on my bed, trying to feel the calmness at my centre. I visualise the changes of fortune that have been buffeting me as a thunderstorm. The flashes of lightning are bright, but they cannot harm me; and as I get closer to the centre of the cloud it becomes lighter and fluffier. I pass through the silver lining, and I am in a brightly-lit multi-coloured cotton-wool landscape where everything is calm. I recline and stretch my arms until my body is totally comfortable, all the while letting fresh waves of calm sweep over me.

"Nice here, isn't it?"

The soft clouds around me may be beautiful, but they are nothing compared to the radiant being which is resting beside me.

"Protectress! I missed you!"

"I have told you before, I'm not a guardian angel and I won't always be with you. You should understand that."

"But why are you here now, and why weren't you here when I felt I needed you?"

"You were mistaken about needing me. On each of the occasions when you sought me and I wasn't there, you were safe in the presence of a powerful protector. Keitaro was near, and looking in your direction, and he would not have allowed any harm to befall you."

"But .. when I ran in a panic through the train station, it was because I thought I was unprotected and in danger .. you allowed me to think that, didn't you? Because you knew that I would eventually run into Keitaro?"

"I'm not a guardian angel, and strictly speaking I'm not a goddess either, though some would describe me in such terms. But I do sometimes move in mysterious ways, though I say so myself."

"I see .. I think. So, why are you back now?"

"As I said, this is a nice place you've built, in this cloud. I like it. Actually I shouldn't say this, because as the protectress of twenty-five worlds I'm not supposed to have favourites, or to form attachments of any kind. But I made an exception for Tama-chan, and I'd like to make another exception for you. Mutsumi, can I call you Mu-chan?"

* * *

Thanks again for the positive reviews. Please continue to let me know what you think, whether good or bad. In an attempt to forestall one possible criticism: I really do intend to deviate significantly from canon, probably fairly soon. This is not intended to be just a retelling of the canon story from a different perspective. 

One question: I'm not sure about what is an ideal chapter length. I think my chapters have been getting gradually longer, and I have a feeling that this one is maybe too long.. Is it, or is it just right, or should it be longer still? Thanks for your opinions.


	8. Mutsumi knows

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. The brief snippets of fairy tales are borrowed from "Japanese Fairy Tales" translated by Teresa Peirce Williston, in 1911 (which is available online - google can tell you where). I don't own that either. Nor do I own "The Matrix". 

Mutsumi knows - Part 8. Mutsumi knows.

* * *

It's good to be back on my island, back with my family and friends and neighbours. But .. if only ... if only Kei-kun could have stayed for long enough to be entranced by the island's magic, or even just for long enough to notice the place. If only Na-chan hadn't been so suspicious of my motives, that she had to drag him away as quickly as possible. Were my motives really so transparent? I suppose they must have been. Now, if only I could go to Hinata-sou, and try for another chance .. but that is impossible, at least for the time being. 

If only the long days of travelling in the backs of lorries, the sleepless nights, the worrying about Kei-kun, about the exams and so on .. if only the delayed effects of all these things hadn't piled up like carriages in a train wreck, shattering my health which is never very good at the best of times. If only I wasn't lying in my bed, so weak that I'm unable to even raise an arm. The doctor tells me that I drift in and out of consciousness, and that especially when I am unconscious my pulse is very weak, and yet, he says, at root it doesn't seem to be a heart problem. My anemia, he says, is just a contributing factor, or maybe a symptom. He wishes he could tell me more about what the problem actually is. If only ...

My young brothers and sisters are doing their best to cheer me up. At first they tried to play with me, but, since I can't really respond to their playing, they now read their favourite stories to me. I do appreciate their presence, and their stories are ones that I would normally like, but since the time recently when I reflected on the unhappy end of my own favourite story, I've been longing to hear something that ends happily. Why does it seem like all Japanese fairy stories are sad?

"... Poor Prince Abe! He was heartbroken. He could not blame his faithful friend, for he had done his best. He could only write to the princess telling her all, and then go away forever. The princess was very sad when she knew what had happened, for she saw that this man was true. She sent him a note asking him to come to her, but he had already gone away, so she never saw nor heard of him again. The end."

That was all I heard of that story. I must have been unconscious at the start of it. Fortunately it was a story that I had heard before, so Butsu-chan doesn't need to discover that I missed most of her tale.

"Thank you, Butsu-chan, that was a nice story, and I appreciate it very much. But next, can anybody tell me a story with a happy ending?"

"I can!" piped up several enthusiastic voices.

"So many great stories to choose from! I'm so lucky! Let's hear your story next, then, Hana-chan"

"Okay, this is the story of the Dragon Jewel. Prince lofty was ..."

"... The beautiful palace which he built for the princess had no one to live in it but the bats and owls, and sometimes a stray mouse or two. The end."

Again, that was all I heard. I try not to let Hana know that I missed most of her story.

"Thank you Hana-chan, that was great storytelling, but was the ending really a happy one?"

"Yes, Mu-chan! Prince Lofty was a great boaster and a great coward, it says so in the story, so really it's a good thing that he didn't get to win the princess in the end."

"I see. But can anyone tell me a story where the princess lives happily ever after?"

Again a chorus of "I can". And again a story that I miss most of.

"...'I am ready,' she said. There was no other sound. Silently he handed her a tiny cup. As silently she drank from it. It was the water of forgetfulness. All her life on earth faded from her. Once more she was a moon maiden and would live forever. ..."

* * *

Suddenly I am looking down on my bed from above. I can see myself looking very pale and still in the middle of the bed. I notice that it isn't just my brothers and sisters around me any more, my parents have slipped quietly into the room too, and my uncle, and some friends and neighbours. They are taking it in turns to kneel by the bed and hold my hands for a few moments. Oh dear, could this mean what it seems to mean? But I don't want to leave everybody just yet! 

"Don't worry, Mu-chan, they're all praying for you, and you will pull through this time" says a familiar voice. I look in the direction of the voice, and I see my protectress standing at the head of the bed, leaning over and stroking my forehead. As always, she is more beautiful than anything I can describe, and she radiates an unearthly light. Instantly all the discomfort I have been feeling slides away, and I feel calm and relaxed, and happy. There is another light in the distance, that seems to be drawing me towards it.

"Just ignore that light, please, Mu-chan, we're not going there today."

"Not today. Does that mean I will go to it someday, protectress?"

"Oh yes, everyone does, eventually. But for now I hope we can just have a chat about your future".

She waves her hand, and the room we had been in fades away. Instead we are sat in comfortable armchairs on what looks like an infinite plain, stretching to the horizon in every direction. Near us are the only two other items of furniture: A television and a DVD player which look completely ordinary except that there are no leads anywhere - no aerial, no power leads.

I answer: "I'm just glad to know that I have a future - but I wish I could know more of what it might hold. I'm beginning to feel as if every story I know has a sad ending. I hope my story can have a happy ending. And I do like being with my friends and family, but I wish now that I could be close to Kei-kun and Na-chan, so I can get to understand them. I have a feeling that a lot has happened since we were little, a lot that I've missed out on."

"That is true, Mu-chan.. You can't go to Hinata until you are reasonably recovered, but that will be soon. In the meantime, I think we should find you a story to hold on to, one that will help you with your future."

She waves her hand again, and a huge collection of shelves filled with DVD cases appears, with just a hint of motion blur to suggest that it has arrived rapidly from a great distance.

"This is part of my anime collection. Please feel free to browse - there's bound to be something suitable in here somewhere".

"It doesn't feel right, selecting a video to watch while my friends are all worried about me and praying around my bed".

"But it will help you, if we find the right story; and it won't take up any time in your world. You could watch everything in my collection, if you like, and your friends and family will think that you have been unconscious just for a moment. So, in just a moment of their time, you will be able to reassure them all."

Satisfied, I look through the shelves, which seem to contain everything I have ever heard of plus thousands of titles that are a mystery to me.

"Oh, wow, you have Liddo-kun and friends! That was my favourite when I was little!"

"Oh yes, the disc you're holding has my favourite episode on it, the one where Liddo takes on the thunder-monsters, and then he and his his friends are zapped by bolts of lightning until their fur turns black."

My eye twitches for some reason.

"That's the sort of episode I remember" I say. "But I always thought that my memory was playing tricks on me, that really Liddo and his friends would emerge triumphant at the end of every episode".

"They're friendly little furry woodland creatures, taking on some of the most powerful and most vicious forces in the universe. What do you expect to happen in those circumstances?"

"Sorry, I suppose I wasn't thinking" I say, putting the disc back on the shelf.

"Oh, there's a set I haven't heard of, and it has such an intriguing title, so unusual. 'Love Hina'. Is it good?"

"Yes, I think you will like that one, Mu-chan. I reckon it's one of the best in my collection. Please put it the first disc in the machine, then sit back and enjoy the show".

* * *

"Ara ... that was ... interesting." 

"Did it help you at all?"

"Well ... I feel like I know a lot more now about Na-chan and Kei-kun than I did. Is it true, that Na-chan doesn't remember anything about any of the promises? When she talks to Kei about her promise she is referring to a promise she made to him recently, or sometimes to a promise which she made to her tutor two years ago?"

"Yes, that's right."

Wow. If I was unscrupulous, I suppose I could go to Kei-kun and mention the childhood promise that he and I made together, without saying anything to either him or Na-chan about our other promises. But of course I'm not like that. Still, knowing everything that I know now must surely give me some kind of advantage.

"Showing me all this, isn't it a bit unfair to the others?" I ask, "I mean, all of the girls at Hinata-sou, they're all in love with Kei-kun, aren't they? But none of them have seen this anime."

"But they are close to him, nearly all of the time. They have been for a while. I'm just giving you a chance to catch up with them. Besides, the DVDs are sold by many shops and mail-order outlets. It's not as if I was showing you something that wasn't freely available."

"Ara! You mean ... our lives, even our innermost thoughts .. they're on DVD's that anyone can buy?"

"Well, not actually in your world, but in a world that is very close to yours, yes."

I'm not quite sure what to think about that. Actually, I don't want to think about it at all.

But then I realise, the story is wrong anyway. Just a detail here, a detail there .. but these all add up to a big discrepancy. The Mutsumi in the story is different from me, and the same is presumably true for all the characters. So nobody is really seeing my innermost thoughts, and I'm not really prying into the minds of my friends as I watch the anime. That thought comes as a relief.

"It was a very good anime" I say, "but some bits weren't right. For instance, the inflatable raft. What I actually did in real life was foolhardy enough, and I regret it now; I almost drowned Kei-kun and Na-chan, and I can't forgive myself for that. But I can't imagine myself ever pushing a raft through the porthole of a cabin in a moving ferry, miles from anywhere, and then leaping after it. That would be just too strange! And even if I could do such a thing, surely Kei-kun and Na-chan would stop me? And then, later on, there's the way I treat Kei-kun when he comes to my apartment because Hinata-sou is being refurbished. At that point, with Kei-kun seemingly won, I say and do all the wrong things, and so I end up driving him back to Naru. But I would never treat him like that really! In particular, I would never suggest trying for another college instead of Tokyo U. I would never ask him to give up on his dreams! And I would never want to keep him away from his friends, so I don't see why they should be concerned that I might do that."

"I can explain those points" said the protectress. "Try to imagine what it would be like if you couldn't sense my presence in your life - if you were still just as fortunate in avoiding serious injury, despite your occasional clumsiness and your sleepwalking and your tendency to collapse, but you didn't know that behind the scenes it was me keeping you safe. You might become reckless, thinking that you could survive any mishap. That is the Mutsumi of the anime.

Then there is your belief in the power of the promise to get you and Keitaro and Naru into Tokyo university all together. Your belief is strong, partly because I have reassured you. But the Mutsumi of the anime has no such reassurance. She believes in the power of the promise, but her belief in Keitaro's ability to get into Toudai is strongly tested when she meets him and finds that he is filled with self-doubt, and still getting low scores despite years of practice. She begins to think that he might be happier if he was reaching for a lower goal, one that he could attain."

So - it is my relationship with my protectress that makes all the difference. I thought I just owed her my life, but I owe her so much more than that. She is a good friend. Without her guidance and reassurance, I would be like the Mutsumi of the anime, and I would surely lose Keitaro.

"Thank you, protectress", I say, "I owe you so much, I don't know how I can ever repay you. But there's other discrepancies, and one of them's a big one."

"In the anime", I continue, "Na-chan has a mother who has re-married; but I'm sure that when I was little Na-chan had a father but no mother. I remember that very clearly, because although I say in the video that it was a boy whose name and face I can't remember, actually it was Mr. Narusegawa who first told me the story about how if two people who love each other go to Tokyo university together, they'll live happily ever after. I suppose the Mutsumi in the video is trying to stretch the truth just slightly, because she doesn't want to say where the story really comes from. And it is true that I did forget his name and face, and even now I don't know his first name."

"Anyway, I remember thinking then that it was very strange, him telling me that story. I knew that he and Mrs Narusegawa had gone to Tokyo U together, and she hadn't lived happily ever after. I remember too that he was nearly crying when he told me the story. I didn't understand how he could talk about being happy ever after, when he was nearly crying, but I think I understand now. They were happy ever after, because Mrs Narusegawa lived on in her husband's memories, and in his heart. Even if Mr. Narusegawa did cry sometimes, it would only ever be for a short time"

"Yes, that's exactly right, Mu-chan" replied the protectress. "Also, there is a reason why Na-chan has a mother who has remarried in the anime, and I will tell it to you someday. But it's a sad story in some ways, and I know you're looking for a story with a happy ending."

I think about that, just for a moment. "A happy ending would be nice, but I think I need to understand more about Na-chan. I want to know why she gets so angry sometimes".

"Very well, if you are sure that is what you want, then I will tell you. To put it briefly: Mr. Narusegawa made a childhood promise with his future wife, that they would get into Tokyo University together, and live happily ever after. They kept the first part of the promise. Then they were married, and had a daughter, Naru. But Mr. Narusegawa lost his wife to illness, and the doctors thought that the daughter would soon be joining the mother. That was where you came into the story, and you were told about the promise, and you made your own promises to Keitaro and Naru. Later, the burden was too much for Mr. Narusegawa to bear on his own, so he remarried. But things didn't go the way he hoped, because he had only remarried so that Naru could have a mother. He found that he couldn't feel the same way about his new wife as he had about his first. He thought that he was making a mess of the lives of his daughter and his new wife, and he hated that, so he ran away. Then there was an accident, and Mr. Narusegawa went to join his first wife. The second Mrs. Narusegawa never found out about the accident, all she knew was that her husband had run away, and he never wrote or called her to let her know where he was. She was left looking after a very sick Naru on her own, and the burden was too much for her to cope with, so she in turn remarried."

"Naru has only the very vaguest memories of her biological father, and she feels let down by him. She can't remember her biological mother at all. She only knows her through photographs, and through tales told by distant relatives. For a long time, she didn't know that the woman she calls 'mother' isn't her biological mother. But the loss of her parents affected her very strongly, and she doesn't want to face such a loss again, and that is why she doesn't want to have any deep commitments. Sometimes she has feelings for someone, but she can't bring herself to act on those feelings, and then she gets angry. If she does ever commit herself to a close relationship, for instance with Keitaro, she will be very possessive. She won't be able to bear the thought of losing him."

Ara, what a sad story! And yet, the promise that I've been chasing after for most of my life comes from that story. 'If two people who love each other very much get to Toudai together, they will live happily ever after'. But they both died so young, and so tragically!

"I know what you are thinking, Mu-chan. Mr. Narusegawa and the first Mrs. Narusegawa do live happily ever after. They are glad that their daughter is doing so well in her studies, and that she has a loving new family to care for her, and good friends at Hinata-sou. And they are grateful to you for teaching her to say Toudai, and for including her in your own childhood promises. By giving her a goal, and close companionship, you helped her to overcome her illness. And now that the new promises are approaching fruition, they feel sure that the story will have a happy ending. They give you their blessing, and wish you the very best of luck."

"Please thank them for me, protectress, and tell them I will try to be worthy of their blessing."

Ara, what good fortune, to have such a blessing, but what a burden too! Naru's original parents are happy for her - but how will they feel if Naru falls for Keitaro, but I am the one to win his heart? And I do so desperately want to win his heart.

I have so much new knowledge, thanks to my protectress, but how do I use it responsibly? How can this story have a happy ending? In the anime that I watched, the girls all want to put Kei-kun's happiness before their own. They step aside for Na-chan, because they know or believe that she's the one Kei-kun wants. And Na-chan herself is just as self-sacrificing as the others. She tries to pair me up with Kei-kun, when she finds out about my promise to him. All of them are deserving of Kei-kun's love, because they all will do so very much for him. Surely I have to be just as self sacrificing as the others, or I will be the least deserving of happiness. But then Kei-kun will follow his heart, and his heart will lead him to ...

* * *

I wake up in my bed, surrounded by a sea of familiar faces. They are all smiling, but it is obvious that they have been crying. Some are still crying, but smiling through their tears. 

"Mom, dad, everybody, thank you for your prayers", I say. "I'm sorry for giving you all such a scare, but I think I'm going to get better now."

* * *

Sorry about the long interval since the last update. I was a bit concerned that there was too little action in this chapter, since it's nearly all talk, or thoughts, but I decided in the end that it works well enough. Was I right? As always, please feel free to leave comments, whether good or bad. Thanks. And thanks for all the positive reviews of the last chapter. 


	9. Making a Difference

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 9. Making a difference.

Note: Horizontal rules within the story generally mark a change of scene or passage of time.

* * *

Finally, things are starting to look up. I haven't collapsed in more than a week, and I'm feeling better than I have in ages. The doctor says he still has his doubts, but if I want to go now he won't stop me. Searching the net I've found an apartment which is so close to Hinata-sou that only the tea shop is closer, and it's amazingly cheap too. I'm told there are drawbacks, but the only drawback that matters to me is the fact that it isn't actually Hinata-sou. Of course I couldn't apply to go to Hinata-sou without Kei-kun guessing my motivation straight away, and I'm pretty sure that he would feel obliged to turn me down, because of Na-chan. Maybe next year. Anyway, the deal has been agreed, and the rent has been paid in advance, so apartment it is. I hope that I am ready for the journey. Ready or not, I believe that I have to go now. 

Now, how to get there? My family, understandably, don't want me to take a ferry, and airlines are wary of taking me because of my condition. They don't want to get their planes redirected in mid-flight, or to have passengers panicking because there's a supposed "corpse" on board.

Fortunately my uncle has come to the rescue, with his trawler. I suspect I'm taking him out of his way, but he insists that he had plans to try his luck near the Japanese mainland anyway.

* * *

He and his crew are very helpful; they keep a very close eye on me whenever I'm on deck, making sure I don't get too close to the side, and are always ready to catch me if I collapse. I spend as much time as I can below deck, though, because I don't want to be a nuisance to them. It's a little embarassing to be tied to my hammock while sleeping, because it reminds me of my "invalid" status, but I suppose it is necessary to keep me from sleepwalking off the boat. And it's done using a thin strand of wool, which can easily be broken in an emergency.

* * *

So, finally, we arrive at Hinata beach. My uncle helps me wade through the surf until I am on dry land, and then, after a brief goodbye, he heads back to his boat. The consensus is that I should be able to manage the last part of the journey on my own, but if I get lost or encounter any problems then I can return to him. He'll be there just offshore for several hours, because the boat is grounded and can't move again until the tide has turned; but in the gathering darkness his boat is hard to spot, and it's easy to imagine that I am on my own.

I imagine that I am the princess Otohime in the fairy story, leaving her undersea kingdom in search of her lost love, the hero Taro Urashima. Will I find him? I hope so. But in the story, Taro had left the undersea kingdom because he desperately wanted to be with his own kind. Will he have found his own kind? Will he want to be with them forever? Will he have forgotten all about the princess and her magical kingdom?

"Myuh!"

A familiar weight settles on my shoulder.

"Oh my!" I say. "Long time no see! Have you been good?"

It's so good to see Tama-chan again. But then I become aware of the others.

I don't understand .. what ... this isn't supposed to happen! I'm supposed to get to my apartment, and some time later meet princess Amalla and her cousin prince Lamba Lu, and only then should I be meeting kei-kun. I stand there, in shock, not knowing what to say or do.

"Mutsumi?" - Na-chan looks as shocked as I am.

"K.." Ara, I nearly said Kei-kun. I mustn't call him that, and I mustn't say Na-chan either. But what are their full names? My mind has gone blank. All I can say is "oh my", over and over; and then, "who are you again?".

"Myuh".

Thank you, Tama-chan, for coming to my rescue!

"Oh I remember now, Ms. Narusegawa and Mr. Urashima!"

"Mutsumi!" Na-chan yells.

"So good to see the two of you!" I reply.

"It's been a long time Mutsumi!" - that's Kei-kun.

Such a joyful moment, and I've waited for it for so long; but as I race towards Kei-kun's outstretched arms, my clumsiness kicks in, and I trip over the watermelon in my string bag, and go crashing down onto the beach. I try to get up, but I'm dazed and winded by the fall, and in my confusion I trip again.

* * *

"You really need to take more care, Mu-chan". 

"Protectress! It's good to see you again! But does that mean I'm in one of my death-like trances? Will I have to go back to Okinawa?"

"You are in a trance, yes, but it's only a brief one. What you do next is up to you, but I suspect you'll choose to stay here, even if I advise you for the good of your health to return to Okinawa and rest there."

"Yes, I certainly want to stay here for as long as I can. I know my health matters, but being here matters too. But, why did I have to trip just at that moment? It's enough to make me dislike watermelons!"

"I know you can't be serious about that - nothing could make you dislike watermelons. But as for why: you were about to embrace Keitaro enthusiastically, and shower him with passionate kisses, weren't you?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Trust me, he isn't ready for it. He would feel embarrassed, and he would say 'Mutsumi, what are you doing', and Naru would get very angry. What could have been a very promising evening would end early, and on a sour note. Besides, there's your promise to Naru."

"Then I suppose it was you responsible for my tripping up? You have a strange way of protectng me sometimes."

"I do my best. But you know that there are some things I can't protect you from. In the end, I won't be able to protect you from what you desire. Not that you would want me to, of course."

I don't quite understand what she means by that. In fact there are a few things I still don't understand. So I say:

"How is any of this happening anyway? I thought I wouldn't meet Na-chan and Kei-kun until I was settled into my new apartment. What about princess Amalla and prince Lamba?"

"They aren't here yet. Because of your determination and sense of urgency you are here early, risking your health in the hope of a better outcome than the one in the anime. Because of that, some things will happen differently. In fact, because of the changes that you have initiated, the likelihood is that Amalla and Lamba won't come to Hinata at all. I have a manga you could read, which might help you to understand the changed situation".

"Is it like the anime?"

"Yes, it has a lot in common with the anime, but in some ways it is even better."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I already feel that I know too much, that I've intruded too much on the privacy of everyone at Hinata-sou. I appreciate your assistance, protectress, but I want to find my own way through."

"Just one thing more, then, Mu-chan. Tonight you will face an important decision. I pray that your choice will be the right one. Believe in yourself, and believe in your friends. See you"

* * *

After a brief chat with the other Hinata-sou residents (who I feel I know so well, even though I've met some of them only once, and others not at all) they leave me with kei-kun and Na-chan, to get reacquainted. 

We have found a good pub, and I'm having a really pleasant evening, just drinking and chatting with my two old friends. We seem to be getting along really well. The drink hasn't affected Naru adversely, like it did once. I could be happy, if life was filled with moments like this.  
But there are subjects that I need to broach, and I can't bring myself to do it just yet. I'm hoping the drinks will give me the courage I need. I will have to confront Kei-kun about his promise, and before I can do that I will have to confront Na-chan about my promise to her, even if that will mar the mood of the evening.

"What's it been? Six months?" asks Naru.

"Nearly" I reply. Five months and twenty days since our meeting in Kyoto, by my reckoning. I hope I am right!

"You two were so helpful to me on that trip, I can't thank you enough" I add.

And then comes the first crunch moment, the moment I've been dreading.

"By the way, what are you doing in Hinata?" asks Na-chan.

"Um. Erm..." .. what should I say? What should I say?

"Myuh."

Tama-chan, you help me so much. I don't know how I could ever have parted with you.

"Oh,yes. I'm here to take the entrance exam! I've already found a place to stay, too."

"Wow, you're gonna be local!" says Kei-kun. "Let's celebrate! Drink up!"

And it was as easy as that, the moment that I'd been dreading. I thought somebody would ask why I had chosen to stay at a place so far away from the test centre, or why I was so early for the test, or any of a host of other questions, but nobody said anything. Could the other crunch moments pass just as easily? Maybe I've been getting myself worked up over nothing!

Still, I feel nervous. I eagerly accept the invitation to drink up, and I think I astonish Na-chan and Kei-kun with my capacity for alcohol. Actually, I astonish myself, even. And, whether it is from the drinks, or from being so happy with my friends, I do feel more and more as if I am ready for anything. I have a warm comfortable feeling inside. OK, here goes ...

"Hehehe. Oh yes, Urashima. How about this year? Tokyo U?"

"Yes" replies Kei-kun, "Naru and I will be trying to get in together".

And we have a chat, about our grades, and our chances of getting in. I make an unfortunate remark about Kei-kun's brain, intended to be a joke but I'm not very good at jokes. Still, everything seems to be going well so far, better than I had hoped. I put my hands together and say a silent prayer. Then I say out loud:

"So the three of us could be study buddies."

"Yeah" says kei-kun.

"That'd be great" adds Na-chan.

Yes! Yes! Such a perfect day so far, it feels like nothing could spoil it! But then I see Kei-kun's photo sticker album, it being the top item in the contents of his bag. I know it's private, but I just have to know - am I really in time? While Na-chan and Kei-kun are distracted by a conversation about whether we should be called the "great ronin trio", I say another silent prayer, then I sneak a look at the special page, the one that held only one photo the last time I looked.

Thank Kami-sama! I don't know what I would have done if there had been two photos. I suspect I might have put a brave face on it, but inside I would have been destroyed. It would have meant that they had already been on their very special first date. But my calculations were right, as I knew they had to be. Wait, though! The photo is dated more than ten months ago, instead of nearly six months ago. And it was taken in Hinata, not in Kyoto. Does that mean I'm here in time through sheer luck, and not because of any calculation? Whatever, I'm just too relieved to think straight now. There are other questions I need to ask, even more important than the ones I've asked already, but my mind is a blank. Not the blank I feel just before I meet my protectress, but an alcoholic blank. Best to go now, perhaps, while I still have some thought processes left. The other questions can wait.

"Well, I'll be leaving now. Bye bye!"

"You're leaving already Mutsumi?"

"Yes it's getting late, and I have to find my lodge."

"We'll take you" says Kei-kun.

"Yes, we'll worry if you go by yourself" adds Na-chan.

Ara, it's so good of them to help. I should have guessed they would. But now, what a dilemma! I don't think it would be a good idea to let them know that I know this area, and that I know where I'm heading for. I'll have to pretend I have a map. Actually, I do have a map, the map of Japan that I used to show my uncle where to drop me. It doesn't actually show Hinata, so I had to mark the spot using a biro, but they don't need to know that.

* * *

I start leading the way. Unfortunately the alcohol has taken its toll on my navigational skills. I'm not sure which way I'm going, but I doubt that it's the right way. The dead end alleys are a dead giveaway. 

"Um, Mutsumi, is that map accurate? Let me see it."

Another crunch moment. Kei-kun looks at my map of Japan in disbelief. I need a distraction, quickly. Fortunately I see one.

"I know my apartment has a statue of a bird on the top. Oh look, there it is!"

"That's a bowling alley!"

"Oh my, bowling how wonderful! I've never bowled before. Can we go in? It says open 24 hours"

* * *

And we do go in, and I have a marvellous time, but getting an intense feeling of deja-vu in the process. 

Final score: Nar: 211 Ura: 209 Oto: 300.

I know my protectress must have had a hand in that result, but she refuses to appear no matter which meditation I use.

Time to go, I suppose. But then I trip once again, over a bowling ball. I don't want to crash heavily into the floor again, so I reach out for something to grab hold of, anything to stop myself from falling. Unfortunately the thing I grab happens to be Naru's waistband. In an instant her trousers are down by her ankles, and she is fallen over, landing heavily on her back. I am dazed for a couple of seconds even though my fall was broken, and Na-chan is dazed too. She sits up, rubbing the back of her head.

Ara, it's times like this when I'm glad I'm a girl. I know if I'd been Kei-kun doing that then I'd have been knocked into the stratosphere! I hope that as things are Na-chan will see the funny side, and realize that it wasn't deliberate. But ... Na-chan really does have shapely legs, better than mine, I think. If I was a boy I could get aroused by looking at them .. or even if I wasn't. It really was an accident, though, I swear! I think that for all the getting knocked about that Kei-kun has to endure he deserves an occasional glimpse of legs and panties, but I hope he isn't getting too turned on by what he's seeing now. My fear is that he has enough lust for Na-chan already, and eventually he will mistake it for love, or it will turn into love.

My thoughts are interrupted by the loud thwack of a fist connecting with a chin.

"Keitaro you pervert!" - That's Naru, of course.

"Why me?" wails Keitaro, disappearing into the distance.

And something snaps inside me. Just for a short while I'm someone else, not like Mutsumi Otohime at all. I turn to Naru and shout:

"What was that for? I'm the one who pulled your pants down, and it was an accident. Urashima didn't do anything! Maybe you don't want to hit me because I'm a girl or because I'm weak, but why should he have to suffer?"

Then I go to Kei-kun, leaving Naru staring wide-eyed, and after checking that he isn't badly hurt I grab his arm and pull him along.

"I'm taking you away from this place, and away from her! She's hurt you enough for one night. Come with me!"

I'm never this forward. It has to be the drink talking. But I really can't stand seeing Kei-kun hurt. It isn't right!

* * *

I pull him outside into the street, and set off boldly, to where I know I have to go. Kei tries to struggle, but even though health-wise I am weak I have a very strong grip. 

"There's something I want you to do for me. Something that you promised."

"W-where are you taking me?" he whimpers.

"Somewhere we have to go. I want you to keep your promise, tonight!"

As I continue to drag him along a neon-lit street of cheap hotels his eyes fill with what looks like panic. I almost relent, but he did promise, and he should have kept that promise.

"Mutsumi, no! I'm not ready!" he cries, but we're at the destination now. I pull him through the curtain.

And finally I have my photo-booth stickers of me and Kei-kun. I split the sheet in half, and give half to Kei-kun. I don't know what he'll do with his half, but I can hope and dream that one of them will go in his album. As for my stickers, I will treasure them always. One will go in my album, and it will always be the last sticker in the album, unless we have more pictures taken together.

Naru has caught up with us, and I feel guilty about the way I have treated her.

"I'm sorry, Naru. I don't know what came over me then. I hope you can accept my apology."

"No, I'm the one who should be apologising to you! You were right, I mean about Keitaro not having done anything. We were having such a good night, and I spoiled it! I think it was the defeat at bowling, it made me angry with myself, so I wasn't thinking straight."

"Oh, but the night isn't spoiled at all. I can't think of any time that I've enjoyed more! And now, to cap it nicely, I have the photo-stickers that Keitaro promised me. As for the bowling, if it's any consolation, I think I cheated. It would take a long time to explain how, so I hope we can leave the explanation for some other time, and I'm not absolutely sure that I did cheat. But if I did, please accept my apologies for that too."

Naru looks puzzled, but she accepts my apologies, and Kei-kun accepts my apologies for dragging him through the street without telling him where we were going, and in a minute we are all friends again.

Well, it has certainly been a momentous night. But there must be more to come, even though night is starting to turn into morning and I'm more than ready for bed. My protectress said "tonight you will face an important decision. I pray that your choice will be the right one. Believe in yourself, and believe in your friends." What was that about? Surely she couldn't have been talking about a spur-of-the moment drink-fuelled decision to have a photograph taken? What did that have to do with believing in my friends?

And then I realize that my meanderings have taken me almost in a full circle. The beach is just at the end of the road, and on it, in the pale pre-dawn light, I can see a shape that can only be my Uncle's trawler, still there but surely ready to go by now. This is my last chance to decide. I can stay in Hinata, as planned. That is certainly an attractive option. What happened in the bowling alley was a lot like the anime I saw, making me think it might be possible to "cherry pick" the best moments from the anime. That would be fun, especially the boating lake episode, but would it ultimately get me anywhere? I don't know. Alternatively, I can go home to recuperate some more, and only return to Hinata when my health is good. No, that isn't really an option, not as long as I am able to stand unaided. Or ..

"Naru, Keitaro, I owe you so much, for all the help you gave me getting home to Okinawa. I want to offer you something in return. I did come here for the exam, but really I'm much too early, and anyway it's only a mock exam, not the real thing. So, if you like, I can offer you an all-expenses-paid holiday on a beautiful Okinawan island. It's a bit late in the season, but the weather there should still be fine and sunny. And we can study there as well, so you don't need to worry about falling behind in your work - I've got lots of textbooks there. The only snag is you have to decide right now whether you want to go or not. I should be most honoured and grateful if you would accept"

* * *

Only one review for the last chapter. I hope that means that everyone else is really satisfied with the way the story is going. If you're not satisfied, please speak out - otherwise, how will I know? 

To forestall one criticism: Yes, I know Mutsumi's burst in the bowling alley is out of character. Blame alcoholic drink (hers or mine, take your pick). I know that in the manga she has been drinking and she doesn't react in that way, but that is because the Mutsumi in the manga has just a short while earlier had the devastating blow of seeing two pictures on the special page in Keitaro's album, and having the significance of this confirmed by Tama-chan. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Trent Easton: Thanks for the positive comments. I will try to explore Mutsumi's sexuality further in the forthcoming chapters, though exploring sexuality maybe isn't my strongest suit.


	10. How did we get to be here?

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 10. How did we get to be here?

* * *

Naru and Keitaro are on deck, talking.

"Remind me, Naru, how did we get to be here?"

"Well, Mutsumi did make a compelling case, about how beautiful Okinawa is at this time of year".

"Yes, but running away again, so soon after the the last time? The girls'll go ballistic! And Haruka! If she has to look after the Hinata-sou again because I'm away again ...".

"Well we did help her out an awful lot at the beach teahouse. We really need a holiday just to recover from that holiday! And Mutsumi did say there was a radio telephone on the trawler that we could use, so you can call Hinata-sou and tell everyone what we're doing. It's not as if they'll think we're eloping again."

"We'll have to telephone, yes ... but I'm not looking forward to that call. Like I said, the girls'll go ballistic. And another thing, we don't even have any of the items we'll need, like a change of clothes for instance."

"About that, Mutsumi did say it would be an all-expenses-paid holiday. I think that might be what swayed it for me ... I'll definitely need more than the clothes I'm standing up in, and it'll be nice to have a few new clothes at somebody else's expense."

"Naru! You aren't really Naru, are you? You're really Kitsune in disguise!"

"And when did y'all manage to work that out about little old me?"

"Ha ha. But that still doesn't really explain how we got to be here."

"I think it was the way Tama-chan flew to the top of the trawler's radio mast and wouldn't come down. We couldn't have gone home without Tama-chan. The other girls would really have gone ballistic in that case!"

"Yes, I think that's it. That's the reason!"

I've been listening in on this conversation. It can't be helped really, there aren't a lot of opportunities for privacy on the trawler. The night shift crew are asleep in the sleeping-cabins, and no matter where else you go somebody's likely to overhear what you say. I join in:

"Naru, Keitaro, I'm sorry about this trip being so spur-of-the-moment. I've had a word with Tama-chan, and she promises she won't be naughty like that again. We will be stopping at a port soon - my uncle did catch a few fish on the way up from Okinawa, and he needs to unload them. I can buy you some clothes and other essentials when we stop, or if you've changed your minds I'll give you your train fare home. I didn't mean to kidnap you and keep you aboard against your will!"

"No, it's all right Mutsumi", says Naru, "I'm glad to be on this trip really, and I'm sure Keitaro is too. And ignore what I said about you paying for me, I've got my credit card, I can afford to buy myself a few odds and ends."

"Ara, we'll have to argue about who foots the bill later, but for now, thank you both for coming. I really am very glad to have you both with me. And how about kicking off our first official ronins study group meeting? I don't have any textbooks, but I do have a test paper, and I can show you my secret method for multiple choice questions. I haven't shown it to anyone before!"

* * *

"You get a pencil, and you write the numbers one to six on it..." 

"You're just rolling the pencil! Mutsumi, please don't tell me this is how you've gone through your entire education! It would explain how how your grades can be so bad."

"But I only roll the pencil if I've been looking at a question for an entire minute without getting an answer. And I always make a note of which questions I rolled the pencil on. If it's a two hour paper with sixty questions, at the end of one hour I've looked at every question, I've given an answer to every question, and I know that I've got a lot of the answers right. Even on the questions where I rolled the pencil it's a safe bet that some of my answers are right. That's a good position to be in. I can pass even if I collapse at that point, which has happened once, and if I don't collapse I have a whole hour to try to do even better! That hour is spent looking at questions that I've already had a good look at, and my subconscious has had plenty of time to sort them out. Questions that looked impossible first time around can seem easy when you tackle them a second time!"

"Compare that with where I'd be if I froze because I got stuck on the first question, or if I sank into despair because all of the first few questions were stinkers, or if on the other hand I went into a reverie because I'd looked at all the questions without answering any, and they all seemed too easy! Why, I might wake up from that reverie with only a minute of the exam left to go! Not that anyone'd ever really fall into any of those traps, of course, but my method did actually help me once because some of my answers were out by one. I mean, I knew the right answers, but I'd marked the wrong boxes by mistake. Having to go back over the paper meant that I spotted that error while there was still enough time to do something about it!"

"Wow Mutsumi", says Keitaro, "you really have given this some thought! Okay, I'll try it, just to see how it goes."

"Right. You have to be sure you have a good eraser. And it helps if your watch has timer and stopwatch functions, but you can use an ordinary watch "

-

"Okay, Mutsumi, I'm stuck on question one, and a minute has passed. so I suppose it's time to roll the pencil ... four."

But Naru has been looking at the question too. "You dummy Keitaro", she says, "how can you get stuck on such an easy question? It's obvious that five is the right answer."

At this point a big wave hits the boat. the deck tilts, and the pencil starts rolling again. When it stops, five is uppermost.

But I've been looking at the question too. "Are you sure, Naru? Don't you have to divide by the square of the hypotenuse?"

Naru looks again at the question, and her face turns red. "You're right! Er, so that means ... the fourth answer is the right one."

The boat tilts again, and the pencil rolls again until four is uppermost.

"Please stop that!" I shout.

"Who are you shouting at, Mutsumi?"

"Nobody. I'm sorry, this method doesn't actually work very well on a moving boat. Let me show you another of my secret techniques instead..."

* * *

We're in the changing rooms at a clothes shop, near a harbour, where we have stopped on our way to Okinawa. This is the first chance I've had to talk to Naru without the possibility of Keitaro overhearing.

"Naru, you look really cute in that outfit. Please let me buy these things for you - I've been feeling guilty about the way I've treated you, and I want to make it up to you if I can."

"Feeling guilty? What about? If it's about that bowling game, I don't see how you could have cheated, and anyway it was only a game."

"It isn't just that game. In fact it's ... everything. I have a confession to make, but I don't even know where to start. Maybe when you've heard what I have to say you'll want to take a train home after all, and take Keitaro with you, but I have to get this off my chest anyway. Do you remember, six months ago, I told you that Keitaro had feelings for you?"

"Er, yes" says Naru. She sounds a bit worried, as if she's wondering where this is going.

"I still think that's true, but at the bowling alley I found myself hoping that his feelings for you are just lust, not true love."

"Of course his feelings are lust. He's a pervert, and an idiot, and he has no redeeming features whatsoever! But why would you hope for something like that?"

"Because I like him."

"What?"

"But don't worry, Naru, I would never steal him away from you, not if you really love each other! You're my friend too, and I want what's best for both of you."

"Oh. Mutsumi, there really is nothing between me and Keitaro. He's looking for his 'promise girl', that he made a promise with many years ago, and he thought that I was the one, that's all. If you want to go after him then that's up to you, but I really think a girl like you could do better. Anyway, having thoughts about Keitaro isn't the same thing as treating me badly. What makes you think that you have treated me badly?"

I say: "Naru, I can't help feeling that despite your protestations there's something between you and Keitaro, maybe something that you don't realise is there. And even if you're absolutely sure that there's nothing there right now, I still believe that a beautiful relationship could blossom between the two of you, given time. I can't step in between you without feeling some guilt, because of that. A part of me hopes that the feelings between you will deepen, even while another part hopes that he will notice me."

"That's ridiculous." replies Naru. And maybe it is.

Why can't I bring myself to talk about the promises? I must force myself. I must.

"Naru, it isn't a coincidence that we met last night, or even that we met in Kyoto six months ago. I think you had your suspicions about me right from the start, and wanted to challenge me, but you were too polite, or too unsure, to say anything. Your suspicions were actually well founded, though. There's a lot that I should have told you and Keitaro, but I didn't. Like, for instance, who Keitaro's promise girl really is."

"Whaaat?"

"I'm sorry, I really intended for this to come out gradually, because I was afraid of how you'd react if I said it all at once; but I've learned a few lessons recently, and one of the lessons is that I have to be totally honest with my friends, no matter what. You and Keitaro are my childhood friends, from more than fifteen years ago. We used to have a really happy time together, the three of us!"

All of this looks like it's too much for Naru - there are so many conflicting emotions flitting across her face. One hand is balled into a fist, but there's no Kei-kun around for her to hit. I hope she won't hit me, but I think she's so worked up that anything could happen. Then:

"I don't believe you! You're just making this up! You want to fool Keitaro, to make him think that you're his promise girl. Well, I won't stand for it!"

"It isn't like that Naru! Let me explain, please!"

"Okay, I'll let you have one minute. That's all."

"Naru, when I was a little girl, about five or six years old, somebody told me that when two people who love each other get into Tokyo U together, they will live happily ever after."

"'Somebody' told you? Do you remember who this 'somebody' was?"

"Yes, in a way. My original intention was to tell you that I forgot his name and his face. That would be true, but it would only be part of the story. I still don't remember his given name, or his face, but I do know that his family name was Narusegawa, and that he was your father."

Again Naru's face is a collection of conflicting emotions. She looks like she is about to explode. I press on quickly:

"I passed this story on to a boy who was my closest friend, and we made a promise that when we were grown up we would go to Tokyo U together. Again, my original intention was to tell you that I forgot this boy's name and face, and again that would be the truth, but only part of the story. In fact I never knew his full name, I only ever called him Kei-kun or Kei-Kei. And I did almost forget his face. I thought it wouldn't matter whether I remembered his face or not, because he would have changed. But then I saw him again at the Toudai examination hall, and he hadn't changed at all, and everything came flooding back."

"I was right!" replies Naru, "You are planning to fool Keitaro, to make him think that you are his promise girl! You might have managed to fool me, too, if you had stuck to your original plan, but for some reason you made the mistake of trying to drag my father into your story. My original parents did go to Tokyo U together, that's true, and somehow you've managed to find it out. But what you didn't know is that they definitely didn't live happily ever after. My mother died shortly after I was born, so why on earth would my father tell you a story about living happily ever after? And, my father was a no-good waster who didn't die but maybe he should have done."

I am taken aback by the real bitterness in Naru's voice. She continues:

"Instead, he remarried and then he ran away, abandoning me and my new mother. And he never came back, or phoned, or wrote, or anything! Even if your promise did come from him, tell me why I should care about a lying story or a promise that was told to you by a no-good home wrecker!"

"Because he did care about you! But he died, and that's why he couldn't write or phone."

Ara, I've said too much! Naru is shaking with emotion, and there are tears in her eyes. She says "I'm going to pay for these items now", and stalks away from the changing room. I follow her, to the till, and then back to the harbour. She boards the boat, but she turns away when I try to talk to her. It's obvious that she doesn't want to talk any more.

* * *

There isn't another chance to try to talk with Naru privately until it's time for bed. The night shift crewmen have vacated the sleeping cabin, and for a few minutes there's just the two of us there. Finally, our conversation continues.

"Mutsumi, did you really know my father?"

"Yes, and he wasn't as bad as you imagine. In fact, he was a really nice person. Has your mother ... I mean, your stepmother ... has she ever said that your father wasn't a good father?"

"No, she always avoids discussing the matter. But I was able to put two and two together. And I'm on my second set of parents now, and I don't even get along all that well with them sometimes. So I'm always suspicious of getting involved with people. I don't think I could ever commit myself fully to a relationship. At school there were lots of boys interested in me, but I always blew them off. And then I had a great tutor, and I had a real crush on him, but there was no way I could ever say anything to him... and now ... Keitaro..."

And she breaks down, sobbing. I put my arm around her shoulder. Finally she continues:

"Please tell me about my father".

So I tell her what I can remember. It isn't much, but I hope it is enough to convince her that her father loved her very much. And, I tell her, he passed on the promise to me because he wanted others to share what he had shared with the first Mrs. Narusegawa. What he always will share with her, despite everything.

Naru is still sobbing, a little, but when I tell her about her father's idea to make a time capsule, and about some of the things that we put into the capsule, a smile starts to appear on her face.

Just then, though, Naru starts to look panic-stricken. "Oh my God!" she says, "You really are Keitaro's promise girl, aren't you?"

"Yes, but you are too! You saw us making the promise, and you wanted to be a part of it, so we repeated it with you joining in. You could only say "Toudai 'mise", but I'm sure you knew what it meant. And you were just as much a part of the promise as I was, because I know Kei-kun loved you just as much as he loved me, and I love you just as much as I love Kei-kun. And a year later, when you could talk a bit better, we repeated the promise, just you and me, because I wanted to be sure you would remember. Please search your memory. It will come back to you eventually, I'm sure! And I don't know how it will work, but we'll all get into Toudai together, and we'll all be happy ever after."

And she puts her arm around my shoulder and says: "Thank you, Mutsumi. I feel so much better. And I think I will be different in the future, not so quick to judge Keitaro, for instance."

I feel like an exorcist must feel after banishing a troublesome demon. But I'm saddened, too, by the thought that this probably means I'll be cheering Keitaro and Naru on from the sidelines. Still, it had to be done, and I'm sure that whatever happens will be for the best.

"Just one more thing, though", Naru adds. "Why did you only tell me this? Why not share it with Keitaro?"

"Because there was another promise I made, the only one that I regret ..."

But at this point the cabin door opens.

"How much longer will you two ... Ack! I didn't mean to .. I thought you'd have finished changing!"

"Keitaro, you pervert!"

Thwack!

"Man overboard!"

* * *

Hi all. Sorry it's taking so long for the story to develop, but at least it's definitely going in a different direction from the canon now.

Trent Easton: in the notes at the end of the last chapter I said that Keitaro was the one and only true focus of Mutsumi's desire. Then I picked up vol 10 of the manga, and I read where Mutsumi says to Naru "I love Kei-kun, but I love you just as much as I love him". I reckon I could still be right, though, in a sense, because love and desire aren't necessarily the same thing. But I realised that my Mutsumi wasn't caring enough about Naru's feelings. She was single-mindedly focussing on trying to develop a relationship with Keitaro, without worrying about how this would affect Naru. I've tried to correct that in this chapter, at the cost of having another slow chapter with lots of talk but not much action.

It's very tricky: I don't want Mutsumi to be too assertive, or even slightly uncaring, because then she wouldn't be Mutsumi, but I do want her to end up with Keitaro. The good news is that this is going to happen. I have enough of the rest of the story worked out in rough to be sure that Mutsumi will win Keitaro this time. I hope any Mutsumi fans reading this will be happy about that.

Mantis man: A few chapters ago you made the point that your impression was that Mutsumi, "like Keitaro, didn't remember the name of the person she'd made the promise with". I only gave a partial answer then, but I hope things have become clearer now. Mutsumi makes statements which, while they are stricly speaking true, aren't the whole story or anything like it. She knows more than she is telling, but she has good reasons for keeping her secrets, or she thinks she does. She knows she will have to tell the full story eventually, but she keeps putting it off. She suspects that Naru will pursue Keitaro with renewed vigour once she realises that she is one of his promise girls (and Mutsumi won't be able to compete with Naru when that happens, because of the outcome of a certain game of janken). Also, Mutsumi can't suddenly admit the truth without also admitting that she has made a lot of misleading statements in the past. The longer she follows this path, of trying to mislead, the harder it is to get away from that path. But her tales become so elaborate that eventually she is unable to keep her story consistent. E.g. at first she remembers clearly that her promise was with a boy (even if she did forget his name and face), but later she has to insist that it was with a girl. In fact the promise was with both a boy and girl, as is made clear in vol. 10, but when Mutsumi is finally ready to tell the whole truth (near the end of volume 8) she is silenced by Keitaro with an "I think we should let the past rest, don't you". She has left it far too late, and pays the consequences.

Are people still reading this? If you are, but you're finding it too slow, or too repetitive, or too complicated, or whatever, and you're thinking of giving up because of that, please let me know with a review before you do give up. I will try to adjust future output in the light of any valid criticism. Thanks.


	11. Misplaced Childhood

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina is by Ken Akamatsu. 

The song "Childhood's End?" is by Marillion.

Mutsumi knows - Part 11. Misplaced Childhood

* * *

The sun rises over the sea, like a beautiful watercolour of a calm mill-pond. A contrast with just a couple of hours earlier, when the waves had reminded me of another watercolour, a famous Japanese one, and the wailing wind had fortunately drowned out most of what Naru had shouted about her opinion of the weather. Now I think of a song ... 

"And it was morning, and I found myself mourning for a childhood that I thought had disappeared .."

Why can't he see? I daren't tell him - but maybe if I give him a clue, then he will see.

"... I'm not alone, I turned to the mirror,  
I saw you, the child that once loved.  
The child before they broke his heart,  
Our heart, the heart that I believed was lost.  
So I see, it's me, I can do anything I'm still the child,  
'Cause the only thing misplaced was direction And I found direction.  
There is no Childhood's End.  
There is no Childhood's End.  
'Cause you are my childhood friend.  
You are my childhood friend.  
Oh, lead me on."

"What's that you're singing, Mutsumi?" Keitaro asks.

"Oh, it's just a song by a band called Marillion. They're one of my favourite gaijin bands. Sometimes I hear one of their songs, and I can imagine it's all about me, that they wrote it specially for me."

"Yes, it sure is a good song, and you sing it very well Mutsumi."

"I listen to western music a lot, because English is such a big part of the entrance exams. Revision is so important in my life, I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't make at least part of it into an enjoyable, fun experience. I hope we can do Karaoke together sometime."

"Sure, why not? I enjoy Karaoke, but I've never thought of that sort of thing as revision before. You really have thought a lot about your exams, haven't you, Mutsumi? I know that with you helping us we're sure to pass next time."

"Don't forget all the help you get from Naru too."

"Oh, I know she tries very hard to tutor me, and I feel guilty because I suspect that's why she didn't pass last time. She spent so much time getting me up to scratch that she neglected her own revision. But I always feel inadequate when she's tutoring me. I'm always an 'incorrigible idiot'."

"Give her time, Keitaro, and never forget that she is trying hard, and at great cost to her own chances. You owe it to her to learn something from her efforts, so make sure you do. I'm sure things will get easier, and that you're right, this time we'll all pass together.

"Yes we will". Keitaro replies, with firm confidence that I am glad to hear in his voice. "While we're talking about Naru, though, she was acting a bit strange yesterday, after she went off with you to get some new clothes. Do you know why?"

"I'm not sure. Did she say anything about your promise girl this morning?"

"No - why should she do that? She did ask me if I knew anything about her father though."

"What did you tell her?"

"I just said no, I don't know her father. I've only known Naru for less than a year, and she hasn't said much about her family in that time. I suspect she has problems with them, like I have problems with mine, and that's why she stays at Hinata-sou, but that's just a guess. You didn't answer my question though - why should Naru say anything about my promise girl?"

"Oh, it's just something we were talking about yesterday. And we did talk about her father as well."

"Oh. did she tell you about how I even thought that she might be the promise girl? It's a bit embarassing to think about it now, because she could only have been two and a half at the time, but for a while I really had myself fooled!"

"Ara, you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea, keitaro. Consider, there might have been two promise girls, Naru and another girl, maybe just a bit older than you, who could have taught Naru to join in the promise. You might have made the promise to both of them."

"Wow, that's quite an imagination you have there, Mutsumi!"

* * *

We finally approach Okinawa, and Tama-chan gives an excited "myuh!" as she heads ashore. I'm reminded of how she was responsible for Kei-kun and Na-chan being here on this boat. I think once again of my favourite fairy story. It was a turtle who delivered the hero Taro Urashima to the princess Otohime's beautiful kingdom. And I think, thank you, Tama-chan. Thank you!

* * *

At Okinawa, all the family are there to meet us. Mother comes forward first, to offer a welcome.

"Welcome home dear! Nice to see you've brought some friends with you! Hello, I'm Mutsumi's mommy, and my name is ... ara, what is my name?"

"Momma, it's Natsumi. Na-tsu-mi. Remember?"

"Oh yes, Natsuni. That's it. And you must be ..."

"This is Naru and Keitaro, mother. and it's Natsumi."

"Really? I thought you were Mutsumi. Welcome to our island, Naru, Keitaro. Natsumi has told me all about you!"

"I'm Mutsumi, mother!"

"Please make your mind up, Na, er, Mutsumi. You're getting me all confused!"

Ara!

While Naru and Keitaro are unloading their meagre luggage, mother takes me aside. "Did you get Naru to agree to cancel the promise you made to her about Keitaro?"

"Ara, no, I was able to talk with her about everything else, but I never got the chance..."

"Should I do it for you?"

"No, mom, I will do it, I promise."

"OK, but in the meantime you have to be true to your word, the way I brought you up. 'Na-chan gets to marry Kei-kun', that was the promise, wasn't it? And you have to 'give up on him completely'?"

It's hard, being reminded like that, but mom is right. So, for a while, we try to get Kei-kun and Na-chan together. We're not terribly successful - maybe it would be different if we were doing this a year from now. Or if my heart was in it. But I'm determined to put a brave face on, so Naru and Keitaro will never know that my heart isn't in it.

Then mother says "Naru, Keitaro, we've got the guest house ready for you - the one with the big double bed."

I take her aside. "Mother, I know we're playing matchmaker, but isn't that going a bit far? Besides, they've been here before, they know that we've got two guest rooms".

"Oh, didn't I tell you, Mu-chan? We have another visitor coming. I wasn't expecting you back quite so soon, so I said it would be great if he could stay."

Oh dear. Well, I suppose it can't be helped.

We return to Naru and Keitaro.

"So, Naru-san," says mother, "you sure have grown up since last I saw you."

"Er, have we met before?"

"Fu fu fu, you don't remember? I used to work at Hinata-sou. Your father would take you there, because of your health, and you would play with Mutsumi and Keitaro. How ironic it is, that three friends who met at Hinata house should be reunited years later at the same place!"

"Er, actually, mother, I never got to meet them at Hinata-sou. Not this year, I mean. Fifteen years ago, yes."

Naru is more or less prepared for all these revelations, I think, but Keitaro's jaw has hit the floor. I can tell that all sorts of thoughts are running through his head. It will get tricky later, when he wants explanations.

Mom goes off with Naru to chat about old times at Hinata-sou. I'm left with my father and Keitaro.

"Why didn't you tell me, Mutsumi?" Keitaro asks.

"Ara, I was going to. There were so many other things happening, I suppose it slipped my mind."

"Hello Mutsumi!" father says, "I know you've been home for a while, but this is the first chance I've had to welcome you properly. And hello Keitaro, long time no see!"

"Er, what? We've met before too? Was that at Hinata sou?"

"Oh, you probably don't remember, Keitaro, but you've been here before. It was while Natsumi was working at Hinata-sou. She had just inherited this place, but it was a ruin then, totally uninhabitable. Your father helped me to refurbish it, and when we had made a couple of the rooms habitable we invited Granny Hina here for a break, because she'd done so much for us at Hinata-sou. We invited your mother too, but she was too busy, with the family sweet shop to look after. Anyway, Granny Hina came with you, and with your young aunt Haruka, and with Mutsumi too of course".

"How old was I then?"

"Oh, only four or so. And you only stayed for a few days, so don't worry if you can't remember."

Ara, I can see this is a surprise to Kei-kun. But it's a surprise to me too! All this time I've been talking about the past with Mom, it never occured to me that dad might have so much to tell me that I didn't know.

"We had some great times with your family. And I know my Mutsumi has enjoyed her time with you recently. I wouldn't mind having Urashimas as in-laws. If you ever want Otohimes as in-laws..."

"Dad!"

I try to look annoyed at dad, but really I couldn't be happier, and I'm sure he knows. Thoughts and memories are flooding into my mind, things that I had completely forgotten. I had thought that I had a good grasp of my childhood memories, but now I realise, there was so much that preceded the promise at Hinata-sou! I remember, especially, the climbing-tree that once played such a big part in our lives. But Kei-kun's words interrupt my reverie.

Hr "Wow, Mutsumi, I never realised that your family knew mine. And Naru's too! That's quite a coincidence isn't it?"

I fall down in a cloud of dust, with my arms flailing in the air.

* * *

Later, Kei-kun has gone off with some of my brothers and sisters to help them hunt for bugs. The hay-cart is available, so I offer Na-chan a leisurely trip around the island. As we cross the low rise which is the road's highest point there's a marvellous view all around; the 'mountain' (really just a steep wooded hill), the shrines with their special atmosphere, which draw people from far and wide. The picturesque farms and harbour, the other islands, mist shrouded in the distance. I hope Na-chan finds it all as beautiful as I do, and that kei-kun will too. 

"Say, mutsumi, isn't that a road bridge?"

"Ara, yes, it is. It only opened recently."

"Oh, when did it open?"

"N..."

"I didn't catch that, Mutsumi. Why are you whispering?"

"Was I whispering, Naru-san? I think it must have been the wind making it difficult for you to hear what I said. The bridge opened in nineteen-ninety-seven. But it doesn't connect our island to the main island, only to another small island."

"There seem to be quite a few cars around here, considering that this is just a tiny island. I notice there's a nice car in your family's drive."

"Yes, we quite often use it to visit the main town on the next-door island. There's some good shops there. There's not so much here on this island, though there is a marvellous shop that sells pickled squid with seasoned sea-urchin eggs."

"Sounds delicious!"

Just as we complete our tour of the island by arriving back home, a car pulls up in the drive and a man steps out.

"Mutsumi-san! Nice to see you again. I thought you'd be somewhere near Tokyo, studying. Oh, I hope your being here doesn't mean that your health is still bad!"

"No, although it isn't perfect ... ara ... it's nice to see you, Takahashi-san. Er ... I wasn't expecting to see you, Captain. This is my friend Naru. Naru, this is Captain Takahashi, a friend of the family. He captains one of the big ferries. And now we'd better go, there's so many other things to show you. Captain, I think you'll find my mother is just in the house. See you later!"

"Don't go just yet, Mutsumi-san. Why, we've hardly met! And your friend, Naru-san. I've been looking forward to meeting her and Keitaro-san ever since you told me about them."

"Mutsumi has told you about us?" Naru asks, wide-eyed.

"Why yes, and I know that you must be very special to her. It was when you were all on the ferry ..."

"Ara, don't just hang around outside, go on in and meet mother, Takahashi-san! I'm sure she'll be surprised to meet you."

"Oh, she knows I'm coming. I phoned from Naha to let her know that the ferry would be in port for longer than usual, for an overhaul, so I'd be renting a car and driving over, and staying here overnight."

"You drove over from Naha?" asks Naru, getting more astonished by the minute..

"Oh yes."

"But doesn't the road bridge on the other side of this island just connect it to another small island?"

"Yes, but that other island is connected to the main island of Okinawa by another road bridge. It's all part of a big scheme to revitalise the economy of these small offshore islands. You know, when I was little, this island was famous for its watermelons and other vegetables. It supplied all the American bases, and much of Japan too; but now so many watermelons are imported from Taiwan, and so many of the farmers have left. Hopefully, with the new bridges, people will start to come back. And we can rely on our unofficial watermelon ambassador here to persuade every greengrocer she meets, and even the chefs on my ferry, that they should be stocking genuine Okinawan produce. Did you know, the passengers just love the pickled squid that she suggested we should have in the onboard restaurant."

"It's the least I can do for my friends who live on this island", I say, glad that the subject is drifting away from bridges.

"Yes, but ..." Naru says. "Captain, you say that the other island is connected ..."

"Ara," I say, "I was going to talk about that but it completely slipped my memory. Sorry! Come with me and I'll tell you all about it now."

And I drag Naru away from a bemused-looking captain, before things can get any more complicated.

* * *

"Never mind about the road bridge," Naru says, "I think I get the picture there. Right now I want to know about our childhood - your mother tells me that she knew me when she was at Hinata-sou, fifteen years ago. I never realised that I had been to Hinata back then. So that's where we met?" 

"Yes. We used to play a lot at the sand-pit near Hinata-sou, the two of us and Keitaro. And that's where we made the promise, and where we buried the time capsule. Your father brought you to Hinata-sou because he hoped the hot springs there would improve your health."

"I still don't understand, though, why you're trying to be a matchmaker for me and Keitaro. Surely you want him too?"

"Yes, I love him very much. But ... things just happened the way they did, and ... in the end I decided to cheer you both on from the sidelines."

Then one of my brothers arrives.

"Sissy, come quick! Keitaro has found something interesting!"

* * *

"You took your time!" 

"How did you get like that?" Naru shouts.

Kei-kun is hanging upside down from our old climbing-tree, with one of my little sisters in each of his hands, suspended over a sheer drop..

"Isn't it obvious we slipped?"

This is so dangerous! My heart feels like it is in my mouth, and beating hard. But Naru is able to haul me up into the branches with a rope, and I take hold of my two sisters. Now I just need to be lowered.

I go down, rather faster than intended, but still safely. Naru, being on the other end of the rope, is hauled up into the tree, a lot faster than is wise. Keitaro is still up there. Cue extremely embarassing collision.

The next few minutes are so complicated I can't begin to explain without drawing pictures. Dangerous, because it involves a lot of hanging precariously from the end of a rope, so that my heart still feels like it is beating in my throat; but it's one long source of embarassment too, especially for Naru. And funny, really funny. I wish I could describe it, but I can't!

When she is finally extricated fron the tree and from the ropes she and Keitaro have been tangled up in, Naru is so exasperated that she leaves me and Kei-kun stuck up in the tree, as a "punishment". But, doesn't she understand? I could accept this "punishment" in preference to practically any reward, any time. Just me and Kei-kun, together, and in our old climbing-tree too, where we had so many escapades as children. Surely, the tree must have evoked some memory in Kei-kun, which led him inexorably to this moment. Now, will he remember the promise that we first made when we were stuck in these branches?

Back then, Haruka would rescue us when we got stuck. Right now, though, I'm glad that Haruka isn't here. Just for once, I don't want to be rescued.

I turn to Kei-kun, and gaze into his eyes. I am hopelessly lost in them. Now, surely, is the time to tell him that he has two promise girls. But then, even as one of the promise girls, I'd have to continue cheering from the sidelines. And he wouldn't understand, he'd just think that I was being cold, that I'd gone off him. Ara, why does everything have to be so complicated?

I wish I could kiss Kei-kun, without having to worry about the consequences. I wish I wasn't burdened with this huge mountain of knowledge, courtesy of fate and of my protectress, that only makes every decision harder to take. If only I could forget it all! I just want to be free! Please!

Suddenly I feel different. I've lost the thread of my thoughts. What was I thinking about? Oh yes, I've gone and got myself and Kei-kun stuck in the tree again! I know his aunty will save us eventually, like she always does, but then she's bound to get annoyed, and we'll get chewed out, and we'll end up in tears, like we always do.

Kei-kun must be so frightened. I'm always climbing trees, but I'm sure Kei wouldn't do it if I didn't keep dragging him. I want to make up to him for putting him in all this trouble, so I give him a kiss. "Ara, I did it again, didn't I?" I say.

Just then a beautiful lady that I don't know arrives at the foot of the tree. Who can she be? And where is Kei-kun's aunty Haruka? I'm about to ask, but then I slip and fall from the branch. Ara!

Now something very strange happens. I find myself in a place of swirling colours, where I see another lady, even more beautiful than the one who was at the bottom of the tree. She is glowing with light, and I know she must be something very special. But I've never seen anything like her.

"Who are you?" I ask, "and who was that other lady? And where is Kei-kun's aunty?"

She smiles, and it is the most beautiful smile I can imagine. She says "I'm someone who wants to be your friend, Mu-chan. The other lady is a little girl who you will meet soon. She will play with you and Keitaro."

"Keita- ... Keitawo?"

"You call him Kei-kun."

"Oh goody, it'll be nice for me and Kei-kun to have someone new to play with. But she didn't look like a little girl!"

"She will, when you see her later. There's something else you need to know about her, though. Not as a grown up lady, but as a little girl, she is very sick. I try to look after her, but I can't make her better. There will be medicines to help her, but not until she is grown up. And if she isn't helped, then she will die before she can grow up."

"Oh, I know a magic charm that can make anything better!"

"Yes, Mu-chan, that's what I want you to use. That's why I am here. But I have to be sure that you understand. Magic isn't like medicine. If we could just wish all illness away, there would be no illness. That will happen one day, but not yet. For now there is a cosmic balance..."

"A what?"

"It just means that if you make her better, you will be ill yourself."

"Will I die then?"

"Not if you are careful. If you look after yourself you can live until the doctors have a cure,"

"I see. Of course I will make her better then!"

"You aren't worried about being ill for years?"

"No. My mommy and daddy teach me to always help, whenever I can. I like to help!"

"Thank you Mu-chan. When you are ill, you won't be on your own. I will be there with you, whenever you need me. I will see you soon! But now I'm afraid this next bit will hurt, though only slightly."

And once again I am falling through the air with the tree branch above me. I wish that Kei-kun could save me, but he is on the branch still, far out of reach. Then my head collides with something hard.

* * *

Thanks again for the reviews. 

AntarcticTiger, thanks for the kind words, I have a very good idea now of how I want this story to end, and how to get there, so it should be finished reasonably soon, and without too much trouble (but if anyone has any suggestions they're still welcome, though I might not be able to act on them if they don't fit in with the plans). A lot of pieces should fall into place in the next chapter, so if anyone is unhappy that it's taking so long to pair up Mutsumi and Keitaro properly ... all I can say is it will be soon.

Trent, I didn't get so much of Keitaro in this chapter, because Mutsumi wants to be reconciled with Naru before she opens her heart to him, but I think there'll be a bit more of him in the next chapter. Maybe I could have made more of the tree-and-rope incident, but it has been done before in fanfiction, and I don't think I could have come up with a new twist on it. I'd just be reinventing the wheel.

Anyone else, especially if you haven't reviewed yet or if you think I might be going wrong in any way ... please let me know what you think Thanks.


	12. Deja Vu

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina is by Ken Akamatsu. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 12. Deja Vu.

* * *

Where am I? I was in a tree, with Kei-kun, then I slipped and I was falling. That feels like it was ages ago, but what has happened since then?

Oh I remember now! Kei-kun's aunty was standing under the tree, and I hit her head with my head, and we both had to go into hospital, so I must be in the hospital now. But there's another memory too, of a different person standing under the tree instead of Haruka-san. A pretty lady that I didn't recognise. And there was yet another person, a magical lady surrounded by light, who talked with me about a little girl I'm going to meet some day. It's all very confusing! Maybe I only dreamt about the pretty ladies. Yes, that would make sense.

There's an old man with a white coat on, and he's looking into my eye. "Are you a doctor?" I ask.

"Yes, don't you remember, Mutsumi-san? I'm doctor Harusaki, and I've been your doctor for quite a while now."

But I don't remember him. Maybe I'm going a bit scatter-brained, like mommy. I ask the doctor if I'm going scatter-brained like mommy, but he just writes something down and doesn't say anything.

"Is Kei-kun's aunty all right?" I ask. "I think I hit her head with my head."

"Oh, she'll be OK, I think, but ... I don't think she's his aunt. She doesn't look old enough."

Ara, lots of people say that. Haruka is just a girl still, and she doesn't like being called aunty, but I'm sure she really is Kei-kun's aunty. I'm glad she's going to be all right.

Then Kei-kun joins us in the doctor's room, and I'm so happy! I know mommy isn't here on the island yet, because the house isn't ready for her yet, but I really want to be with somebody I know, somebody who will play with me. Having Kei-kun here is perfect. "My li'l Kei-kun!" I say, giving him a big hug.

The pretty lady is with him, the one who might have been under the tree instead of his aunty. My memory about that still isn't very clear. Anyway, they both talk with the doctor about me, using big words like amneesuh so I don't understand what they're saying. Why won't they play with me? Even Tama-chan is just flying around without saying anything. All of them look worried, but I'll cheer them up! I just love to cheer people up!

* * *

Even mommy is here now. Wow, maybe that means the house is finished! That would be great! She takes us home, and it really is finished, and it's very nice. I tell mommy that daddy must have worked really, really hard to get it like this, and I take her inside and show her the bits I did, where I collected seashells and stuck them to the wall so it could be just like princess Otohime's palace.

She says "I remember .. yes .. such a long time ago .. when I heard that you'd had a bad fall I came straight away, as fast as I could, even though I knew this house wouldn't be finished. And the house was a lot more beautiful than I imagined it would be. Yes, your daddy and Kei-kun's daddy must have worked really hard. And I especially like your sea-shell decorations, Mu-chan. I think that even if we re-decorate the house I'll always keep your seashells there in the wall, to remind me that this really is a palace, because of you!"

It's nice to have mommy, and to see her happy, and it's nice the way other things are going, but something is missing. My Liddo-kun! I haven't seen him since I fell out of the tree! Did he fall with me? Was he hurt by the fall? I drag mommy to the climbing tree, and the others come too, daddy and Kei-kun and the lady I don't know, and I get them to look, but there's no sign of Liddo-kun anywhere! I start to cry.

"Please don't cry, Mu-chan," says mommy, "I'm sure that some nice people will have found him, and will have given him a good home."

"But he's my friend!"

"Don't worry Mutsumi", says daddy, and I notice he's winking at mommy, but I don't know why. "I can guess what happened. I bet Liddo-kun fell when you did, and I bet he's still in hospital. Let's go home and I'll phone and see."

And we go home, and daddy makes a lot of phone calls. Then he says that Liddo-kun is fine, and he just needs to go out and collect him. He drives away, and is gone for a very long time, so I start crying again, but when he comes back Liddo-kun is with him. Yay! But Liddo-kun has a bandage around his head.

"Is he all right?" I ask.

"Oh yes, the doctors have looked after him very well, and the bandages are ready to come off now."

"Oh, please say thanks to the doctors for me, daddy. And please be careful in the future, Liddo-kun. You had me worried! And thank you, daddy, for finding him and bringing him home."

"You're welcome, Mu-chan."

I take off the bandage. "Oh, but he's different!" I cry. "Look, his eyes are closed! My Liddo-kun has beady round eyes that are open!"

There's a few seconds of silence, then dad says: "I bet he's got his eyes closed because he's afraid of opening them and finding that he's high up in a tree. You'd better not take him up into any trees in the future, Mu-chan. You don't want to scare him any more!"

"If it's okay," he adds, "I'll just do something to help make sure we don't lose him again. I've got a permanent marker here - this won't wash out at all. I'd like to write your name on the Liddo-kun, so that if he ever gets lost then the people who find him will know who he belongs to."

"Yes please, daddy."

And he writes "Mutsumi Otohime" on my Liddo-kun, in big letters. As he writes, I get the strangest feeling, that all of this has happened before with just slight differences. Did I once have a Liddo-kun with closed eyes, that changed one day into one with open eyes? Did daddy once say "he's keeping his eyes open to make sure he doesn't fall again"? Ara, what is wrong with my memories?

Never mind, I have my mommy with me, and daddy, and Kei-kun, and Liddo-kun. Everything is perfect! We can play now. I play at being mommy, and Kei-kun is daddy, and Liddo-kun is our little baby. I want to give Kei-kun a bath, but the pretty lady won't let me. She's actually a lot like Kei-kun's aunty. Haruka-san is always stopping us from doing things. But who is this lady? She doesn't say.

Mommy asks: "Tell me, Mutsumi-chan, do you like Kei-kun?"

"Yup! I love him!"

"Oh me, oh my! I'm so happy for you both."

Yay! Mommy is happy for me and Kei-kun, and I'm happy for everybody. I hope that nothing ever comes to spoil our happiness, so we can stay like this for ever!

* * *

Where am I now? Na-chan is here, so I can't be on mommy's island. Na-chan never came to mommy's island. I must be at Hinata house. And Na-chan looks so adorable! I can't help getting excited, it's such a long time since I've seen her.

"Na-chan? Is it really you? When'd you get back to Hinata house?"

"Just now I did! Yep! Yep!"

Wow, she's talking so well too!

"Lookie!" I say, "Kei-kun's here too! Now we can all play together!"

What fun! Now Na-chan can be the baby, instead of Liddo-kun. Now we have a real baby! We can maybe give her a bath, and feed her, and change her nappy. I remember Mr. Narusegawa showing me how to change Na-chan's nappy once. "You should learn this for when you're grown up" he said. "But don't actually do it until then, because safety pins are really only safe when they're closed, and they aren't for children to play with". That was a while ago, though, when he first came to Hinata house. I think I must be nearly grown up by now.

But then Na-chan gets into one of her bad moods, and nothing I do will make her happy. "Calm down, Na-chan," I say, "it'll be okay! Remember you'll make yourself sick again if you keep that up."

And she does make herself sick, so that she does have to lie down, just like I said. I'll stay with her to make sure she's all right, and Kei-kun says he'll go and tell the doctor.

Eventually Na-chan opens her eyes.

"How are you feeling, Na-chan?" I ask. "You know you can't keep on over-exerting yourself like that. You are sick, after all. Kei-kun went to get you some medicine, He'll be back soon".

"Please, Mu-chan" she says, "you've got to tell me. You still liked him. You love him, even. So why did you give up and simply cheer the two of us on?"

I don't understand that. I still play with Kei-kun, whenever he's around at Hinata house, and we have some great times. Oh, maybe she's talking about Liddo-kun. Yes, that must be what she means.

"Silly, it's because you get so worked up that you have those fits."

And then I remember what the magical lady said when I was falling from the tree, such a long time ago. I can use my special magic to make Na-chan better! The lady did say that it would mean me being ill, but it's only till I'm grown up. I feel like I'm nearly grown up already, so maybe it won't be for long.

"Here", I say, "why don't I give you a little good luck charm to make all that sickness go away?" And I give her my special kiss.

And Na-chan does feel better, straight away, like I knew she would. But I feel really hot, and uncomfortable. I hope that I can grow up quickly. I don't want to be like this for a long time.

Na-chan puts her hand on my forehead.

"M-Mutsumi, you're .. you're burning up! You had that high of a fever and ... and you still took care of me!"

"Na-chan ... I love Kei-kun ... but I love you just as much as I love him. And that's why..."

but then I fall down, before I can finish.

* * *

I'm in Hinata house, in the middle of the night. I must have woken up and not been able to get back to sleep, so I wander around the corridors until I see a room with a door that is slightly ajar, and I hear a noise coming from the room. I look inside and I see Mr. Narusegawa, sat at his desk, writing.

"Oh, hello, Mu-chan. It's nice to see you again! I'm just here for a few days, and I've brought Na-chan for you to play with. I think you've probably seen her already. She isn't very interesting at the moment though, because she's sleeping, and that's what you should be doing too. Don't worry, she'll be awake when you see her tomorrow! Oh, are you all right? You look ill."

"Mr. Harusegawa", I say, "I have something important to tell you. About Na-chan."

"What about Na-chan?"

"The doctors are wrong about her. She will be all right, and she will live until she is all grown up."

"That's nice to hear, Mu-chan, but who told you this?"

"Oh, I met a magical lady, a long time ago, before I ever saw Na-chan. It was on my mommy's island. I fell out of a tree, but before I could hit the ground this lady told me I would meet a little girl one day, and that this girl would be very ill, but that she would be all right in the end. I think she must have been talking about Na-chan".

"That sounds ... encouraging. But, how can I know that what this lady said was right? Think carefully - did she look a little bit like Na-chan, maybe?"

"No, she was very pretty, but not the same as Na-chan. But there was another lady who I saw at the same time, who did look a lot like Na-chan! She was at the bottom of the tree that I fell out of, and I think she stopped me from hurting myself when I landed, and I saw her a few times after that, but she never said who she was."

"Thank God! And thank you, Mu-chan, for telling me this! I think I know who that second lady must have been. You know that Na-chan's mommy went to heaven not long after Na-chan was born, but she did promise that she would look down on us from heaven, and that she would be with us when we needed her. I think she must have stopped you from hurting yourself when you fell, because she knew that you would be a friend to Na-chan. And the first magical lady you saw, the one who told you what was going to happen, I have an idea ... but no, I daren't speculate..."

"Mu-chan", he continues, after a few seconds, "I know you have a friend, Kei-kun, is it? You like him a lot, don't you?"

"Ara, yes, I love him! We even got married once - oh, only it wasn't real. It was in our climbing tree, the one I fell out of later. We pretended that my Liddo-kun was the minister, and we both said 'I do'. And I want to grow up so we can say it again, only this time it will be real!"

"Well then, Mu-chan, I want to tell you about a special promise. A promise that I made when I was little, with Mrs Narusegawa ... only, she wasn't Mrs. Narusegawa then. She told me that if two people who love each other go to Tokyo University together, they will live happily ever after."

"... and we will live happily ever after, because she isn't really gone. She is looking down on Naru from heaven, and I will too, when the time comes."

I want to say that he won't need to look down on Naru from heaven, because he can stay on Earth, but something stops me. Instead I just say "I'm sure you will".

"Thank you, Mu-chan. I knew you would understand."

A really strange memory comes to me then, and I have no idea where it came from, or why I ask:

"Was it really an accident? I mean, when you died?"

He looks straight at me, with a surprised look in his eyes, and I feel a chill run down my spine.

"Oh yes, it wasn't a deliberate suicide. I was just careless, which you can't afford to be when you're a deckhand. But, maybe it was wilful carelessness. Maybe a part of me didn't mind whether an accident happened or not. The worst part was being in the sea, and remembering that I had used a false name, and realizing for the first time that nobody at home would know why I wasn't coming back. Please tell them, Mu-chan! Tell them I'm sorry!"

"Don't worry, I will!"

"Thank you, Mu-chan. I will never forget your kindness. Goodbye!"

And the scene fades.

* * *

I wake up with a terrible fever. I'm in my sickbed, the one I've spent such a lot of time in. If only growing up didn't take so long! But Kei-kun is here, looking after me.

"Kei .. Kei-kun ... I, I..."

"What is it, Mu-chan?"

"Would you.. would you please ... would you marry me, Kei-kun?"

"Yes I will! I'll do whatever you want, just get better!"

Wow! I don't think I expected that to be as easy as it was..

But Na-chan is here too, and she looks very upset by what Kei-kun is saying. And the doctor is here too. They all talk together, and I don't hear what they're saying, but I do catch the doctor saying "once she reverts, her short term memory will be wiped clean". I wish I knew more words. I think reverts is a kind of game, but I don't understand the rest.

"No go?" I ask.

But Kei-kun says "okay, let's go tie the knot! Mu-chan, you're gonna make me the happiest man alive!"

Yaaay! I'm gonna be a bride!

And suddenly I do feel a lot better. Maybe that means I'm finally grown up, and so I won't have to be sick any more! But if I'm grown up, that means the wedding will be a real wedding! I want everything about it to be perfect, so I ask mommy if we can have it in the top of our special tree, and if we can have lots of watermelon at the reception.

Soon I'm well enough to stand up, and I don't need other people looking after me. I'm able to be in my room, on my own, and to look in the mirror. Every day, if I'm well enough to get out of bed, I look in the mirror to see if I am grown up. Usually I'm disappointed, but I really am grown up this time! Wow! I don't think it's possible to be more happy than I am now. And I imagine what I'll look like with a pretty wedding dress on, and I know that Kei-kun really will be the happiest man alive, just like he said.

* * *

Everybody has pitched in so hard, they've built an amazing platform around our climbing-tree, with room for all the congregation. And they've given me a book full of pictures of wedding dresses to choose from. I see one dress that looks like the one I imagined wearing when I looked in the mirror, and I know that's the one to wear. Suddenly it hits me: This is real! It isn't like getting Liddo-kun to pretend to be a minister, it's much more than that. I'm sure I couldn't just imagine all the work that everybody is doing. But then I see Kei-kun talking to Na-chan. I get the impression that there's something going on between them, something secret. I'll need to ask Na-chan about that.

"Na-chan? Do you like Kei-kun also?"

"Of course not! Where'd you get that idea from?"

"So you don't mind if Kei-kun and I get married then?"

"Of course I don't mind! After all, I hate that idiot!"

Again I have a feeling that I've asked that question before before, but with a very different answer from Na-chan last time. How can she hate him? He's our friend! Still, what matters is what's happening now, and surely every last obstacle has gone now. It's really going to happen!

And now everything is ready, and it's the big day. The dress is beautiful, the tree is beautiful, everything is beautiful! Kei-kun is as handsome as I have ever seen him, in a really smart suit. The priest conducts the ceremony, just like I imagined. Kei-kun puts the ring on my finger, the priest pronounces us man and wife, and says "you may now kiss the bride". I bring my lips towards Kei-kun's.

"Nooooooooooooooo!"

That was Na-chan! She really does like Kei-kun after all! I knew it!

I can't help feeling sorry for Na-chan. She doesn't have a mommy like I do, and she has been ill for nearly all her life, and so much of the time she doesn't have anyone to play with. And I know she really loves Kei-kun, and maybe it wasn't fair for me to take him all for myself without giving her a chance. So:

"How about we settle this over a game of Janken? Winner gets to marry Kei-kun, and the loser has to give up on him completely. Well, whaddya say?" I ask.

"You gotta deal, sister!"

Janken ... that's rocks, paper, scissors.

First round, we both throw scissors. A draw. And I remember, Na-chan always throws scissors. Stone blunts scissors. I can win! All I have to do is throw stone! But ... Na-chan is only a little girl. She looks so sad and worried. She knows she always loses this game, but she isn't old enough to know why she loses. And she would be so very happy if she won, just this once. Can I really take that away from her?

Second round, I throw paper. Scissors cut paper. And I see the little girl, looking so cute in her kimono, with tears of happiness streaming down her face, and I know that I've done the right thing. But it's so hard! It's the hardest thing I've ever done! Why does there have to be just one winner? And once again a wave of sickness sweeps over me, and I fall to the floor.

* * *

This time, when I come to, my father is with me.

"Hello Mu-chan. Can you tell me how old you are?"

"Yes, I'm twenty-one."

"And do you remember the events of the last few days?"

"You mean the wedding? Yes, I remember everything."

"That figures. The doctor was sure you'd forget, when your main memories came flooding back, but he's been wrong lots of times before."

"It was all a fake, wasn't it? I mean, the priest wasn't a real priest, and Kei-kun didn't really think he was marrying me?"

"I'm afraid so. The doctor said that you would get better if you could fulfill the deepest wishes of your younger self. And as for the priest - yes, he's actually the fishmonger. Your mother tried to get a real minister, but they all got suspicious and asked too many questions about the very short notice. It didn't matter how much we tried to bribe them - only kidding, Mu-chan. Sorry, it isn't funny, I know."

"Still", I reply, "it all seemed real at the time, so all the memories I have of it will be like memories of a real event. I just wish they weren't all that I have."

"Oh, there's the album from the official photographer, and lots of people made videos. You'll have more than just your memories to remind you, Mu-chan. And of course there's the platform around the tree. It's very well built, and we won't take it down. It'll still be there when you want to do it all again for real!"

"Thanks dad, but I can't see myself ever using the platform for a real wedding. Not after that game of janken!"

"Why not, Mu-chan?"

"Na-chan was always bound to win. She dressed up as a child, didn't she, to become a part of the action? I didn't recognise her until she did that, I thought she was a lady that I'd never seen before. But when she became a baby she was so cute I just couldn't resist playing with her, and I think I would have given her anything she wanted. Especially at the end, when she was in that kimono. Then I suppose I really did give her everything!"

"I don't understand, Mu-chan. Naru-san did dress up as a child, yes, to help you get your memories back. But she was never dressed in a kimono."

"What about when we played that game of Janken, and I lost ..."

"She wasn't dressed in a kimono then, and you won that game."

"What? I can't believe it!"

"You played paper, and she played stone. Paper wraps stone. If you don't believe me, the whole thing will have been captured on a few videotapes. You can check them all out."

Ara, I won! I can hardly bring myself to believe it, but it must be true, dad might make bad jokes sometimes, but he would never lie to me about something like that. I won! I don't know how it can have happened, but I won! Winner gets to marry Kei-kun, and the loser has to give up on him completely!

But what will Kei-kun have to say about that? He isn't really just a prize, to be handed over like a toy. And what will Na-chan say?

* * *

Responses to reviewers.

AntarcticTiger: thanks for the very positive comments. I will be putting more stuff in, on top of what I originally planned. I'll try to keep a good balance, so that the story will be long enough without being repetitive. Please let me know if I err in any direction.

Trent Easton: Your wish is my command :-). There will be a date, and living together, and stuff like that.

This current chapter has some elements from vol 10 of the manga, so it might seem at first glance like I'm just repeating those elements, but I hope that on reflection readers will agree that I've put enough of a different spin on them to create a different story altogether. Similarly the date will probably involve a boating lake, unless reviewers tell me that would be a really bad idea.


	13. Explanations and a Proposal

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina is by Ken Akamatsu. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 13. Explanations and a proposal.

* * *

My father has left me alone in my room to recuperate after my latest collapse, and to mentally digest what has just happened. So much to take in all at once! I don't know if I can.

For a few days it seemed like I was a child. I didn't feel like I was re-living my childhood. Rather, I felt like I was living it for the first time. Past and present became fused into one. Now I'm not sure what happened fifteen years ago and what happened this week. It's all very confusing. And so I settle back into my bed and close my eyes. ...

"Hello, Mu-chan. You want me to explain what happened?"

"Hello, protectress. Yes, that would help a lot."

"Mostly, it is as you have guessed. The events of the last few days have been similar to, but not identical to, events of your childhood. However, some events were not recapitulated in the right order, and some pairs of events were conflated."

"Ara, can you keep it simple please? I mean, I know what those words mean usually, but right now my head's still a bit fuzzy."

"Your first childhood promise was with Keitaro, in your climbing tree. You had a pretend wedding, with Liddo-kun as the minister, and you promised that you would do it again for real in later life. Today, just a short time ago, you re-enacted that pretend wedding. It was rather more elaborate this time around."

"But Naru ..."

"Naru wasn't present on that first occasion. She never came to Okinawa as a child. The childhood game of janken was played later, after you returned from Okinawa to Hinata. Then, you allowed Naru to win."

"But this time ..."

"This time you played exactly the same moves, and for the same reasons, but you won. Naru did not play the same moves that she played as a child."

"But ... did you have a hand ..."

"No. I did not influence Naru in any way. That would have been unfair."

"But then how ..."

"A few days ago, when you spoke to Naru about her father, you asked her to try to remember her childhood. Naru did try to remember her childhood. She remembered that as a child she almost always lost at janken. During the actual game she remembered why she almost always lost - that it was because she always played scissors. She was sure that you would remember too, and that you would try to win."

"So, she lost because she was trying to win and she thought that I was trying to win too?"

"Yes."

"And I won because I was trying to lose?"

"Yes. I see a certain amount of poetic justice in this."

"But why don't I remember winning?"

"Because your doctor was right. He did say that once you reverted your short term memory would be wiped clean, and that is what happened. You lost approximately ten seconds of memories. However, you retained the memory of the similar event in your childhood. See, doctors aren't always wrong!"

"Ara, it's still too confusing. Something still doesn't seem right. I still have the feeling that you've been manipulating events all along, to ensure that things come out right for me. Don't misunderstand, I'm grateful for your help, it's just that it doesn't seem to be fair to others. I mean, for instance, if I pass my exams because you help me with them, then I get to Tokyo U, but someone else loses out because I've taken their place."

"If I gave you help in an important exam that would indeed be unfair. But why should I do that? You have put in a tremendous amount of effort over the years, Mu-chan, gaining the skills and the knowledge that you need to pass the exam fairly. So too have Naru and Keitaro."

"But in the trawler .. with the pencil ..."

"That wasn't me. If it was me, I would have given you the correct answer first time, and stuck with it. No, that was Tama-chan. She's only a turtle, and her grasp of mathematics is imperfect, so when Naru was so certain that five was the correct answer, it was only natural that Tama-chan would have second thoughts and change her answer to five. By the way, it was Tama-chan who helped you get a perfect score in the bowling, and that was only because she knew it wasn't an important competition, and that Naru might gain something from the experience of being beaten. Tama-chan knows better than to help you in an entrance exam or other important competition."

"But ... but ..."

I know there's lots of other questions I could be asking, but I can't think of any right now.

"Still unhappy, Mu-chan?"

"Just give me a second to collect my thoughts. Oh, I know. About Mr. Narusegawa..."

"Yes, you did meet him recently. He said the same things this time that he said when you were a child, except at the end, when you surprised him."

"But, how did I surprise him?"

"That bit was my doing, I'm afraid. Even though you were re-experiencing your childhood, I allowed you to retain a small part of your adult memories. Mr. Narusegawa always wanted the chance to apologise to his family, I mean the ones still on Earth, for the way he left them. I thought it would be good to give him that chance. It does saddle you with a heavy responsibility, but I hope you won't mind."

"No, I don't mind, but there's one other thing ... when I said that I'd seen a pretty lady who looked like Naru, he said that he thought I'd seen Naru's mother."

"And he was right. First time around, when you were a child, it obviously wasn't Naru that you saw. Instead, it was Naru's mother, looking after you because she knew that you would become a good friend to Naru. Exactly as Mr. Narusegawa said."

"But Haruka ..."

"Mrs. Narusegawa could do many things, but she couldn't break your fall. It was Haruka's head which broke your fall, on that first occasion. Haruka spent quite a long time in hospital afterwards, and so she has very little memory of her trip to Okinawa even though she is rather older than you or Keitaro. However, it was Mrs. Narusegawa who accompanied you after that fall, and who stopped you from giving Keitaro a bath, and from doing various other possibly dangerous things. She had to step in, to take the place of the missing Haruka. Nobody else saw her, though, only you. Incidentally, on the most recent occasion, it was Naru who broke your fall and who then unwittingly repeated the actions that her mother had performed earlier."

So much explanation! Before, I felt like I had too many questions, but now I feel like I have too many answers! My head is starting to spin.

"Thank you, protectress, You have helped a lot. Now all I have to do is work out what to do next!"

"I think that you will know what you want to do, when the time comes. Naru and Keitaro are still overwhelmed by recent events, and they will need your help. But bear in mind, Mu-chan, that you still aren't fully recovered. For now, you should ideally give yourself the opportunity to rest and recuperate. And I'll see you later!"

"See you! And thanks again!"

And I open my eyes, and I am still alone in my room. I check the bedside clock, and note that no time has passed. Then I get up, and go looking for the others.

I find Naru in one of the guest rooms, the one with the large double bed. Ara, I hope that mother didn't really put Na-chan and Kei-kun both in the same room? I'm not sure if I want to know. Already today I've had too many answers.

She is sat on the bed, facing away from the door but I can tell from the way her shoulders are shaking that she is quietly sobbing.

"Go away!" she wails.

"But Naru, I just want to help!"

"You've done enough already! I don't know how you did it, but you tricked us into coming here, and you tricked Keitaro into that phoney wedding, and you tricked me into that game. And you won! Isn't that enough?"

"Oh, but Naru, if the game is what worries you, we can easily sort that out. It was just a silly game, and a silly promise, all done on the spur of the moment. All I have to do is say that I release you from that promise, and then you won't have to worry about it any more."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we? And you did save me when I fell out of the tree, didn't you? I owe you for that."

I go to the bed and sit beside her, and I put my arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"Yes", she says, "but ... it doesn't seem right. A promise is a promise! I know that's what you believe."

"Actually, Naru, that wasn't the only game of janken that we've played. When we were little we played another important game, and you won that one. So perhaps we can call it a one-all draw, on aggregate."

"Yes, I suppose that sounds fair."

She looks a lot happier now. She rubs her eyes, to wipe away the tears.

"So, Naru, I release you from your most recent promise. You don't have to give up on Keitaro completely, and you don't have to give me a clear run. OK?"

"OK. Th-thank you, Mutsumi."

"And now, Naru, will you release me from my promise? The one I made as a child, where I promised to give up on Keitaro completely?"

"Of course I..." Naru says, but then she stops.

"I'm sorry", she continues, "I just need a short while to think about this. I mean, it's a very big step. I know that I said he was an idiot, and that I hated him, but really I'm not sure. We have had some nice times together. He always spoils things in the end, but..."

"But Naru, if you cancel my promise, it doesn't mean that I get Keitaro, it just means that we have a fair competition! I'm sure he likes you!"

"I'm really sorry, Mutsumi. I promise I'll get back to you in a couple of days, when I've had time to think about this properly."

Ara! I can feel that too much emotion is going through my head, that my breath is coming in short gasps, that my grip on consciousness is loosening. I could cope with being back at square one, but this is worse. All the fears I had about how Naru would react when asked to cancel my promise, it seems they're all turning out to be well-founded. Even after I released Naru from her promise! It's too much! I slide from the bed, towards the floor and towards oblivion.

* * *

When I come to I am back in my own bedroom, tucked into the bed. Naru is sat in a chair next to the bed, and I can see that she has been crying again, and her face looks red, as if she is embarrassed.

"Hello, Mutsumi", she says. "Are you awake? I just want to apologise to you for what I said before. I'm sorry, I was a horrible person. You were able to cancel my promise, and I couldn't cancel yours. And because of that I made your illness worse. I feel really ashamed of myself. Even when I was a child, I was horrible then. You were happy with Keitaro then, until I came between you, and you never complained, or anything! Er, are you awake?"

"Yes I am. Don't worry, Na-chan, I can see that you aren't horrible at all. You're here for me now, that's what counts. And you've been there for me before."

"Thank you Mutsumi. I'll say now what I should have said before. Of course I release you from your childhood promise to give up on Keitaro. How can I not do for you what you willingly did for me?"

And now I am crying, but the tears are tears of joy and gratitude. Ara, there's a long way to go, still, but the biggest obstacle has been overcome. Now I sense that there really is a chance for me to find happiness with Kei-kun. But...

"Thank you Naru", I say, "but what made you change your mind? Has something happened while I've been unconscious?"

"Er, um, yes," she replies. "Actually quite a lot has happened. You've been unconscious for more than a day. The main thing is, er, Keitaro has had a talk with me, and he wants to have a word with you, after I've finished apologising. Is it OK if I go now and let him come in?"

"Of course, but .. a lot has happened, you say? This is all very mysterious, can you tell me what I've missed?"

"Keitaro will ..." she begins, but then starts sobbing again and runs out.

* * *

Now Keitaro is with me.

"Naru seemed very upset, can you tell me what that's about?" I ask.

"Er, well, yes," says Keitaro, scratching the back of his head. "Actually, it's ... you know when we decided to have that wedding, only it wasn't a real wedding?"

"Yes"

"And I said that you were going to make me the happiest man alive?"

"Er, yes."

"The doctor thought you would forget. But, never mind that, I've come to realise that when I said that, I actually meant it."

"Ara.."

"And when we were at the altar, up in the tree, with you by my side, I could sense the love and the trust, and the warmth, and the happiness in your eyes. And I knew that whatever else about the wedding might be fake, those feelings of yours were real. Nobody told you that it was a fake wedding. You thought that it was real, and you were ready to give your life to me, your entire heart and soul."

"That's true, Kei-kun, but you know that I was thinking like a child at the time."

"And you still do, don't you? You're still as sweet, and loving, and gentle, and caring, as you were when we were little, when you were my promise girl. And you still keep your promises, even when it hurts!"

"Ara, thank you, Kei-kun, for saying such nice things about me. When I'm with you, yes, I am still a child, happy and carefree. I get such a sweet, delicious feeling, like only a child can feel. Being with you is fun! And I love you, Kei-kun! I love you so much!"

"And I love you, Mu-chan! I just want to be with you forever! So, for real this time, will you make me the happiest man alive? Will you marry me?"

"Oh, yes! Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Yes!"

And he embraces me, and my happiness is perfect.

For a while, there's no need for words. Words would be out of place. Kisses say everything that needs to be said. But eventually Kei-kun gets up. He smiles, and bends down to give me one more kiss, and then he says

"I'd love to stay longer, but there's someone else wants to have a word with you, and I suppose we should let him. Your doctor is here, and would like to see his patient."

"Of course, show him in. But before you go, what about Naru? What should I say to her when I see her again?"

"Did she apologise to you?"

"Yes."

"Then there isn't any more that needs to be said. I've had a word with her. Actually, I've had strong words with her. When you were talking with her in the guest bedroom, I came to the open door and I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. She knows where I stand now."

"Ara, but we're still study buddies, aren't we? We still have to get to Tokyo University together, all three of us, like we promised? And we're still friends?"

"Er, yes", he says, "with all the excitement, I was almost forgetting about studying, but yes, all those things are true. We'll get along. Everything will work out all right, I'm sure! And now, I've kept the doctor waiting long enough. See you soon, Mu-chan!"

And with that, and one final kiss, he leaves the room.

Now, I wonder, what could Doctor Harusaki want with me?

"Hello, Mutsumi-san! Long time no see!"

"Hello, er, doctor Sakamoto? This is a surprise! What brings you all the way from Tokyo?"

"A couple of things, actually. First of all, your local doctor, doctor Harusaki, was sure that when you recovered from your reversion to childhood you would forget the episode. When he was proved wrong about that, he decided that he was out of his depth, and so he advised your parents to consult a specialist. They asked me to come straight away, and, given the generosity with which they have supported my research, it was the least I could do."

"I see. Thank you for coming doctor. Actually, though, Dr. Harusaki wasn't all that wrong. I did lose about ten seconds of my short term memories when I reverted."

"Hmm, how do you know about that?"

"Actually, my protectress told me. You remember that I told you about her?"

"Oh yes. You said that she was sure I would find a cure for your condition. She didn't happen to mention any formulas, did she? Any promising leads?"

"Are you not making progress?"

"Oh yes, Mutsumi-san, but at our present rate of progress it's likely to take years before we have a definitive cure. Three years is my best guess. In the meantime I have some new palliatives you might like to try. They'll help you to feel better, and they should get you on your feet in a day or two, but they won't cure you. Mutsumi-san, I want you to take it easy for the next three years. Don't over-exert yourself, and don't upset yourself."

"Ara, I have to try to get into Tokyo university this year! But, don't worry, Sakamoto-san. I've had so much practice, I'm sure I can pass the exam without over-exerting myself, and I won't get upset by my exam results, no matter what they might be."

"If you're sure .."

"Yes, but you said there were a couple of things that brought you here. What was the other thing?"

"On the phone, when your mother was asking me to come, she said something about a huge celebration that she wanted me to attend. She said that she'd aim to make it the biggest celebration in this island's history. But she didn't say what it was about. Do you know, Mutsumi-san?"

"Ara, I can guess. You know Keitaro, the boy who just a few moments ago asked you to come in and see me? Did he tell you that he had just proposed to me, and that I accepted?"

"No, he just told me that I could see you now. But I could tell he was excited about something. Presumably he will have told everyone else by now. Congratulations, Mutsumi-san! I am very happy for you!"

* * *

Later my father pops in to check up on me.

"Mother's up to her tricks, isn't she?" I ask.

"Indeed she is. You don't know the half of it. She thought it was a pity that we had this big wedding, and it wasn't real. So when she heard that Keitaro wanted to really propose to you, she had the notion that while everything was still here in place from the mock wedding it would be a shame not to make use of it. Most of the food for the reception had to be given away, because it wouldn't have kept, but almost everything else is still in place, ready to be used. So she's phoning all the pastors again, telling them that this time it's real."

"Again? Last time you mentioned that she'd tried to get a real pastor, you said it was a joke!"

"Oops. Sorry, Mu-chan. Actually, I'm going to make absolutely sure we have a real pastor this time, but, yes, she did try to get a real one for last time. Also, I found this newspaper clipping among her things, from the Japan Times ... 'according to Shukan Bunshun, at least 80 percent of the people delivering the wedding vows at Christian-style weddings in Japan are not actually clergymen, but impostors. More often than not, they are English teachers doing a well-paid weekend gig'. It seems that these weddings are still valid, as long as the registrar is a properly authorised marriage registrar."

"Ara! Don't tell me, the registrar at the fake wedding was a properly authorised registrar?"

"I won't tell you, Mu-chan. I'm sure you don't want to know. It doesn't matter anyway, because you never got as far as signing the register, and because in just a couple of days we're going to have a totally above-board wedding that nobody can doubt the validity of. I hope you don't mind everything happening so quickly."

"No, that's fine. But I'd like to know what Keitaro thinks about all this!"

"I think he'd like to see you again too, just for a short time, so you can have a word about it. But then you really must rest. Doctor Sakamoto's orders!"

* * *

"Kei-kun, I'm finding it hard to believe that this is all real. I'm afraid to pinch myself, in case I wake up. If it is a dream, I really don't want to wake from it."

"It's real, Mu-chan, believe me. But the speed at which your mother can arrange a wedding takes my breath away. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't believe it was possible. I phoned Hinata house, and it seems that Granny Hina has turned up there in a helicopter. Granny is arranging for the helicopter to ferry everyone over here. So, soon you'll be able to meet all my other tenants properly. And even my mother has been finally prised away from her sweet shop, and will be here along with my father."

"Ara, I was expecting something like a leisurely courtship, maybe a few dates, maybe a nice leisurely trip on a boating lake where we could get to know each other, just the two of us on a boat far from the shore with nobody to disturb us. Just the breeze, and the sunshine, and the soft lapping of the water against the side of the boat to keep us company."

"If you want a boating lake, we'll have a boating lake. Anything you want, love! But we can make it a part of our honeymoon, perhaps, instead of part of our courtship."

"You called me love, Kei-kun!"

"Er, anything wrong with that?"

"No, it sounds so sweet, coming from your lips! I love it! Because I love you!"

"I'm glad, love. Because I love you too, love."

And we kiss. And I know that it is real.

* * *

OK, to anyone who was hoping for a longer courtship, my apologies. I tried to write one, like I said I would, but it seemed to slow the pace of the plot down in my opinion. I might post it as a separate story when this one's finished, if anyone's interested. As things are, in this story, you can probably tell that the wedding is very fast approaching, but the story won't end with the wedding. 

AntacticTiger and Trent Easton, I won't make the post-wedding into a separate story because it'll be tied in too closely with the pre-wedding. I know, perhaps everything is too much tied in with everything else already, and all this tying-together might make the story tricky to follow. It certainly makes parts of it tricky to write, but that's the way the muse is leading. What can I do? I can't say no to a muse..

TornadoReviewer. You were right that Naru wouldn't give up easily. But I wimped out and had the really dramatic confrontation between Naru and Keitaro take place offstage. Sorry! I hope your imagination will be able to fill in the gap with just the right amount of fire and explosions.


	14. Introductions

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina is by Ken Akamatsu. 

Mutsumi knows - Part 14. Introductions

* * *

My mother wasn't kidding when she told Dr. Sakamoto to expect the biggest celebration our island has ever seen. Everyone in the village has made their guest rooms and other spare rooms available to cope with the influx, I'm told, and they're all bursting at the seams, with more guests still to arrive. I'm also told that everywhere is buzzing with excitement. The doctor says that I should be up and about by tomorrow. Just as well, since that's the big day! But for today, he says, I should rest and see people only one or two at a time. So Keitaro is acting as usher, bringing people in one at a time and introducing them. For many of the visitors I feel like I know them well already, and have done for a while, but I'm not sure if I should say so. For them, of course, even for the ones who have seen me before, what's happening is bound to have come as a total surprise.

Keitaro enters the room along with a tiny figure. It's Granny Hina. She's a lot smaller than I remember, but she still has the old look of determination in her eyes.

"Well, well, so it seems I tried to pair Keitaro with the wrong promise girl" she says. "It's a good thing, perhaps, that fate has a way of straightening these things out. I look forward to welcoming you to the family, Mutsumi, and to seeing my great-grandchildren."

Then, to Keitaro, "Have you thought about the future, grandson? How you'll cope, with having a wife, and managing Hinata-sou, and studying for your exams?

Keitaro looks momentarily panic-stricken. "Er, everything is happening so quickly, I've not had much time to think about the details."

"Silly boy! You always were impulsive. You'll need some help, if you're going to cope. Fortunately Kanako would like to help you out with the management. That should allow you to concentrate on your studies and other duties."

"Gee, that'll be great!"

"I know Kanako would like a word with you both, but first I want to make sure that everybody's at this wedding who should be. We've brought all the tenants, and your parents, Keitaro. Now the helicopter's ready to go back and fetch anyone we've missed. I know you've got some friends at prep school, but all the girls could remember is that there's a thin one and a fat one."

"That's er, um, er, Shirai and, er, Haitani. Yes, that's it! Oh, and I'm pretty sure Seta would like to be here. Seta's a lecturer at Tokyo U that I've been doing some work for, and he's a very good friend. I hope he'll be able to get away from whatever duties he has. And his little girl Sarah - she calls him daddy, but really he's just her legal guardian. By the way, thank you very much for fetching everybody, Grandma. I'm very grateful. Mutsumi, I'll just go with grandma and give her some addresses. You should be able to cope with Kanako on your own - she's my little sister, I haven't seen her for quite a while, but I do know she's very sweet and charming. Afterwards I'll talk with her about managing the inn."

* * *

Kanako turns out to be what a gothic novel would look like, if it was a person. She frowns and fixes me with a steely glare. "So, you're the one who swept in from the outfield and took my onee-chan away from those witches at Hinata house, are you? I've kept an eye on them from afar, but I never spotted you coming. How did you do it? Blackmail? Magic?"

"Only the magic of a childhood promise."

Kanako's frown turns to into a sad far-away look. "I find it hard to think of my onee-chan as a keeper of promises. He promised he'd write, and he never did. But there's a childhood promise he made to me, and he'll actually be keeping it now, thanks to you. I had hoped for something more, but ... I suppose that doesn't matter now. I just want to know that you aren't like those witches. Do you regularly beat Keitaro up?"

"Ara, no."

"Do you insult him and humiliate him?"

"I could never do that to my Kei-kun!"

"Can you say that you love him?"

"Oh yes, I love him very, very much."

And now the floodgates open. Kanako burst into tears, puts her arms around me, and wails: "please look after my onee-chan!"

* * *

The next person to see me is Kitsune.

She says "The girls are just dying to see you, but they thought it might be a bit much if they all did it today, what with you convalescing and all. So I got sort-of volunteered. That was a mean trick you played, pretending that you were just going away for a break, when really you were eloping. Now some of the girls from Hinata house are in a real quandary, because they haven't had time to get you a present, and they don't know what you'd like. Me and Haruka have brought our very best bottles of Sake. I hope you like the stuff. Kaolla - she's our resident gaijin electronics and weapons expert - said she had some gadgets that would be just perfect for you. But Shinobu - she's our young cook, by the way - and Motoko, our Kendo girl, and Naru of course, they just don't know what to do."

"Ara," I say, "just tell them that watermelons would be fine. Or anything."

"Okay, if you say so. Can I give you watermelons instead of sake - just kidding. About Naru, by the way, I hope you don't mind me saying - she's a very close friend, and I always sort-of assumed that eventually it would be her and Keitaro getting it together. Oh, she never said anything, except once when I fooled her by hitting on Keitaro myself, but I thought I could see something going on under the surface. My feminine intuition isn't usually wrong about things like that. Only, now she's all clammed up. She won't tell me what happened."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Kitsune, but really I don't know exactly what happened either. I think Naru and Keitaro had a big row, but I was unconscious at the time. But I want to be friends with Naru, and with everybody, and I want kei-kun to be friends with Naru too. I'm sure we can get things straightened out."

"That's nice to hear. I haven't known you long, Mutsumi, but I'm pretty sure that Keitaro's made a good choice in you. And, just between the two of us, Keitaro's not such a bad catch either, even if he can be clueless sometimes. You know, if I'd known that Naru wasn't going to win, I'd have made a move on him myself. A real one, I mean. but I suppose my life's destined to be one huge bundle of regrets."

I can't help crying for her. "Kitsune", I say through my tears, "I know it can be hard, when life seems to be dealing you one blow after another. But I'm sure you have the ability to rise above all the disappointments. Just don't let them knock you down. And all your friends, including me and Keitaro, will always be there for you. Sometimes, when I see how much Kei-kun means to so many people, I wish that it could be possible for him to marry us all. But we don't need to be married to be close to one another, and stand up for one another. I hope that after the wedding Keitaro can be just as close to you, and to everybody else, as he was before. And that I can be equally close to you."

And now she is crying. "You know," she says, "I was thinking of drinking a lot of the sake that I've brought, myself, at the reception. But just this once ... no, not just this once, I won't take refuge in the bottle. And I hope I can be as good a friend to you as you want to be to me, and I wish you lots of happiness with Keitaro. And on that note I'll go."

"Thank you Kitsune-chan. If any of the other girls do want a word, please let them know it's no trouble, I'm sure I'll be able to cope."

* * *

Shortly afterwards, Motoko enters. She says:

"Greetings, Otohime-san. Urashima-san tells me that you have been ill since childhood. I believe that this may be the work of a malign spirit. I am learning the ways of the Shinmeiryu, the God's Cry school, of which I am the heir, and I have performed an exorcism once before. With your permission I would like to perform the ritual here."

"Thank you, Aoyama-san, for your kind offer. By the way, we don't need to be formal, you can call me Mutsumi if you like, and can I call you Motoko? I'm fairly sure there is no malign spirit, in fact it is a good spirit which has guided me to Keitaro, and my illness should be curable by medicine soon. But you are welcome to try.

She looks instantly suspicious. "You have an accompanying spirit, Oto.. I mean, Mutsumi? Such things may seem other than what they are. I have a technique which will not harm anything which is good, but it will destroy or banish evil. Perhaps I can ..."

"Oh yes, go ahead!"

So Motoko takes incense and candles from her bag, and some pieces of paper with something written on them, and she places them at strategic spots around the room, then begins her ritual.

And I am in a meadow full of butterflies and flowers, with Motoko and my protectress both standing nearby.

"Hello, Motoko." says the protectress. "You have learned your craft well, I see."

Motoko is startled. "What is this, a vision of the Bodhisattva?" she asks.

I say "This is my protectress. She helps me a lot."

Then Motoko bows and backs away. "I offer my most humble apologies. I did not know that Mutsumi was protected by a goddess."

"No need for apologies, Motoko. I appreciate very much what you were trying to do for my friend Mu-chan. And now, shall we get it over with?"

"Wh- wh- what?" asks Motoko. Her face is a beet red.

"Why, the exorcism, of course!"

"B.. but I daren't, Protectress-sama! It wouldn't be right! And I'm not worthy!"

"Please, just for me? I want to see how good you are!"

"If I must..." Motoko takes her sword from her scabbard, and stares at it. "But .. this can't be real, not here."

"No, the real Shisui is still in its scabbard, beside your prone body. But you know well, Motoko, that it is the directed ki which is the true force behind your attacks. The sword is irrelevant."

And suddenly Motoko brings up the sword, then slashes it down again, screaming " Zanmaken ni no tachi!"

Nothing happens. Not a flower is disturbed, and not a blade of grass. The butterflies continue to flutter around.

"Congratulations, Motoko! That was a wonderful demonstration of the cutting evil sword, second form. You truly are a master of your craft." says the protectress, clapping her hands. I clap too.

"Ara!" replies Motoko. Funny, I thought that was something only me and my mother say.

"I'm sorry!" she continues. "I put you to the test,and I'm not worthy. I shouldn't even be here in your world."

"Oh, this isn't one of my worlds. Mu-chan is kind enough to conjure up these pretty little things, and I just stop by to admire them every once in a while. And, as you can see, not a hint of evil in it anywhere. As for your worthiness - I truly am impressed by your skills. They aren't perfect, but I can give you some pointers, if I may. I'd like to see you give that sister of yours her come-uppance, the next time you go head to head with her. Mu-chan, do you mind if I continue with Motoko alone?"

"No, not at all!"

* * *

I'm back in my room, and Keitaro is cradling me in his arms. "I heard a noise", he says, "like a huge discharge of ki, as if Motoko was using one of her most powerful techniques. I dashed in, and I saw no damage anywhere, but you and Motoko were both unconscious. I felt your wrist and I couldn't find a pulse, but then you stirred straight away."

And now Motoko stirs, and comes to. She sees me and Keitaro together.

"Oh no!" she says. "I didn't intend to be gone for so long. Can you forgive me for missing your wedding?"

"Don't worry", I say, "you've only been gone for a few seconds. The wedding is still tomorrow."

"Er, can anyone tell me what's going on?" asks Keitaro. So I tell him about my protectress and how she has looked after me.

"Wow! I had no idea!"

* * *

Hi. Anyone still reading? If you're still reading, please review, if only to let me know. Thanks.

I've not decided whether to have an "introductions part 2" where we get to meet Keitaro's parents and others, or whether to go straight to the wedding. In any case though the wedding should be soon now, so even though it's taken a while to get there I hope Mutsumi fans will be happy about that, and happy with my portrayal of her. If you aren't, or if you've spotted any kind of errors, you know what to do. Please hit that button!


	15. One Wedding and a Funeral?

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina. 

Mutsumi Knows, part 15 - One Wedding and a Funeral?

* * *

It's great to be up and about at last, and see so much love and encouragement all around. So many friendly faces! And such a buzz of excitement all over the village!

The weather is perfect, after a spell of rain earlier, and the forecast is clear and sunny. Right now, the setting sun is suffusing the sea with dancing flames, to match the red and gold fire of the hibiscus and maple trees. The beautiful scent of autumn hangs in the air like incense, and in a clearing the grass undulates down to the sea like the folds of an exquisite Kimono. In fact, just like the kimono that I'll be changing into tomorrow after the western-style ceremony. I thought my white wedding dress was special - and it is, very special - but Kei-kun has seen it before, so it maybe won't have the same impact this time. The soft red and green silk of the Kimono, with the shining highlights of gold thread skilfully woven in, is something new and it seems almost to match the beauty of the island.

As I wander across the grassy clearing my attention focuses naturally on the giant oak which dominates the centre of it. Our climbing-tree. So much of my life seems to be woven around the limbs of that tree, so many happy memories, from my first promise, and my first kiss all those years ago, all the way through to the emotional roller-coaster of just a couple of days ago, And in between, helping my younger brothers and sisters to collect stag beetles, or just climbing until in my imagination I was so high that I could see all the way to Toudai.

The tree still has the amazing platform built around it, and it is being extended, to cope with the influx of guests who are occupying every spare room in the village. I marvel at the skills of the carpenters involved, and the work they are continuing to put in to their task. And yet they aren't professionals, just friends and family and neighbours from around the village. They are happy to break off from their work just momentarily, so they can congratulate me and wish me well. I thank them for their effort, and try to tell them how special it all is, but I'm afraid my words can't do justice to their feat.

Buoyed up by what I've seen, I head for home, mentally ticking off all the things that have gone so well

Meeting Kei-kun's parents: I had been dreading that, but Mr. Urashima remembered me well from fifteen years ago, and he put in a good word for me with his wife. And when Mrs. Urashima found out from my mother that I like making o-kashi sweets and honmei chocolates, she couldn't help getting into a deep conversation about them, with much comparing of recipes. I think I was a hit.

Trying on two beautiful dresses: First I told myself I needed to wear the white dress again just to make sure it hadn't been marked or creased. Really, though, I wore it so I could look in the mirror and reminisce about the 'wedding' of just a couple of days ago, and dream about the real wedding of tomorrow. Later I was wearing the Kimono and imagining what Kei-kun might think of it. I hope he will be as pleased as I was when I first saw it.

Getting to know the celebrant: Being a real clergyman, he insisted on meeting us before the wedding to be sure we really are committed to one another, and that we understand what marriage means. He started sceptical, I think, maybe because some news of the fake wedding had filtered through to him; but when he finished he was saying that he was pleasantly surprised, and really looking forward to conducting the ceremony, and he was wished that other couple could be more like us.

Choosing the hymn and the reading: Actually it was the celebrant who suggested the reading. He said it was just the standard one, the one that nearly everybody asks for, but it seemed perfect to me and Kei-kun. The hymn was one I thought of, one of my favourite songs, but everyone said it was ideal, and that they couldn't imagine anything better.

With everything falling into place so nicely, could anything go wrong? There's probably lots that needs organising that I don't have even the slightest inkling of, but mom has gone into overdrive sorting all those things out. All I really need, to cap the day nicely, is a get-together with Naru to be sure that we are all reconciled and on good terms. And if I could keep my promise to her father today too, thst would be great.

And as I think this, a familiar voice calls "hi, Mutsumi!"

"Hi, Naru! I was just thinking about you! There's something I was wanting to talk to you about, but I haven't seen you since the ... you know."

"I was thinking about you too", she replied. "I have avoided you and Keitaro since the ... you know, because I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, but there are things I really need to say before tomorrow. I guessed you'd be here. Sometimes, I have a knack of guessing where people will go. That tree's a very special tree, isn't it?"

"Yes, you have to have climbed it as a child to understand how special. I'm sorry that you never got to come here when we were little. But - since we both have things we want to say, you can go first."

"Thanks. Er, ... um ... no, you should go first, Mutsumi. I'm wanting to apologise, and that's something I'm not very good at."

"Ara, you have apologised already, and you did it very well too!"

"But I never apologised for what I said about Keitaro. Remember, how I said that he always spoils things in the end? That was uncalled for. The truth is, I think you're really lucky to have him, and if I had any sense at all I wouldn't have said what I did. I'm sure that he won't spoil things, and that you'll actually have a great life together."

"Why, thank you Naru. I'm sure we will. I hope we all will!"

"The other thing is, I won't spoil things for you either. I know you must be worried that I'll somehow disrupt tomorrow's ceremony, just like I did at the fake wedding. But I've learned since then, honestly. I won't be shouting 'no' at a critical moment. I might be wanting to, but that's another matter."

"Thank you for being so open, Naru, and for reassuring me. I have to say you're a lot more accepting of the new developments than I expected. I thought you'd be freaked out. Did something happen between you and Keitaro that I don't know about?"

"Well, er, yes, but I'd rather not talk about it."

"Kei-kun did mention you had a row, I can understand you being reluctant to talk about that, But I hope there are no hard feelings still. I want us all to be reconciled. If there is anything you can tell me about, I'd be grateful."

"Well, there was ... no, I'd better not say it."

"Oh, you can't keep me hanging like that, Naru!"

"Er, um, it's nothing really. It's just that Captain Takahashi told us about your will."

"Ara, I should have made it clear to him that it was meant to be a secret!"

"Oh, please don't blame the captain. There was a misunderstanding - I think maybe he thought we knew already. But Keitaro was very impressed when he heard."

"Impressed? Why? It's not as if I'd miss the money. I can't take it with me."

"But .. using it to help me and Keitaro get through university together? I think it was your determination to follow through on your promises, no matter what, that impressed Keitaro.The way you left no stone unturned, no avenue unexplored, in your drive to help us succeed even when we hardly knew you."

"Ara. Well, thanks for filling me in with that news. And I hope that whatever has passed between you and Keitaro, we can all be on good terms now. Remember, we have to get to Tokyo U still, and then we have to live happily ever after. You want to keep that promise, don't you?"

"About that ... yes, I think we're on good terms again, but I don't know if I'm up to 'living happily ever after'. I mean, it might be best if I just went back to live with my family, and let you two get on with being together."

"Oh, don't say that! I mean, I want you to be reconciled with your family, so maybe you should visit them for a while; but I hope you'll stay close to us too, no matter what happens. We're friends, really we are. We go back a long way."

"Thank you, Mutsumi. I appreciate your friendship, but about the promise, I don't know any more. I still don't even remember it. Is it really worth going to so much effort for a forgotten promise? I know you take your own promises very seriously, Mutsumi, but why? Why can't we all just try for a school that's easier to get into?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Naru, you just need reminding. I've hear that you were once rated the top student in the whole of Japan. Is that right?"

"Yes. I think I was lucky, though, to get questions that suited me."

"That, I suppose, and the fact that you went without a social life as you crammed and crammed for the exams. What was that all for?"

"I made a promise to my tutor, Seta, and ... yes, I see what you mean. Promises do have power."

"So what went wrong?"

"I guess I forgot about . I mean, I stopped taking that promise seriously. And it was such a gradual process, I didn't even notice it was happening, even while I went from being top student to being a failure."

"Ara, don't say that! We're ronins, but we're not failures yet. We're just taking the longer route to success, the scenic route, you could say! As long as we have each other, as long as we can work together, I'm sure we will succeed. We can all be in Tokyo U together, next year. Not far off now! But we can talk about that afterwards. Right now there's something I want to tell you, and it's about your father, and the things that he told me about."

"Oh, I was intending to ask you about that. I don't really remember my father. I can accept now what you said, that I was wrong to think of him as a bad father, but I wish I had something from him, some connection that would bring back happy memories. And .. I remember you said that he died, and that's why he couldn't write or phone. I never asked at the time, but how could you know that?"

"I'll try to answer that, but I'm worried you might freak out when you hear what I say. Please don't dismiss it until you've heard me out. I have a protectress who appears to me in a vision sometimes - I'm not sure who or what she really is, but I know she cares about me and looks after me. I know it sounds ridiculous, but Motoko has seen her too, she can vouch for my story. It was my protectress who told me something of what happened to your father. And more recently I've actually spoken with what I think was the ghost of your father. In a vision, I mean. He said that he had been a deck hand on a ship, and he accidentally fell overboard. He wanted me to let you know that he was sorry about the way he disappeared out of your life without an explanation."

"I appreciate you telling me this, Mutsumi, but I don't know if I can believe in a vision that someone else has had, that might have been just a dream."

"I understand your scepticism Naru. I know what my story must sound like, but I had to tell it to you to keep the promise that I made to the ghost. I wish there was something more solid that I could give you as evidence. I can't prove that your father went to sea, but ... at least maybe I can prove that he cared about you. Do you know what your first word was, apart from 'mama' and 'dada'?"

"Yes, it was 'Toudai' - Tokyo University. In fact I wrote about that in my diary recently. You haven't been sneaking a peek, have you? No, I know you couldn't have. But that was a little over fifteen years ago, which fits in with the promise."

"So - who told you what your first word was? Who was with you at the time, and making sure you would remember it and make a special note of it?"

"I haven't really thought about that. Fifteen years ago ... it must have been my father!"

"Yes, That word, Toudai, is your link with him. And the promise too. The promise was his idea, and it was an echo of the promise he made with your mother, The impression I got was that he wanted me to share the promise with Keitaro, and he didn't expect us to include you in the deal, but when you were included he was very happy. A year after we first made the promise I tried to remind you of it by repeating it with you ; and he also tried to remind you, by making sure you knew what your first word was. So, by keeping the promise you'll be forging a link with your father, and who knows, maybe that will help you to remember."

We've been walking as we talked, and now we're back home. "Thanks, and good luck for tomorrow" says Naru as she goes to her guest room. I check out the living room and find it a hive of activity, with people folding origami, unfolding paper lanterns and performing other last minute tasks. "You'd better get an early night" says mom, "it'll be a long day for you tomorrow". I know it's been a long day for her, but she won't stop until everything is just right. I thank everybody and say goodnight. But in my room I find sleep impossible. My heart keeps pounding, as I think about tomorrow.

* * *

It's finally the big moment. I'm at the base of the tree, wearing my wedding gown. My mother is giving me a final check, making sure everything is in place, Everyone else is already at their place in the tree-chapel. Surely we're all set now for a perfect day. But suddenly everything goes grey.

Please, not now! I've felt so much better during the last day or so, I thought that my health wouldn't be a problem. But this is just like what happens whenever I'm about to go into one of my fits. I start to panic.

"Mutsumi, what's wrong?" Mother asks.

"It's ... everything's gone grey!" I answer.

"That's just your veil, silly! You can lift it up if you're worried about not being able to see properly."

"No, I'll be fine mom. I'm OK now, thanks"

Everybody stands, and the wedding march plays as I climb up the wooden steps to the platform and then walk along the aisle. A corner of my mind is appreciating how good the organist is, while another corner is wondering how the organ is powered, out here on a platform in a tree in a clearing far from the nearest house. And then we have the hymn.

"Morning has broken, like the first morning..."

It does feel perfect for this setting. And even though it's a western song, to go with the western style of the wedding, it's well known in Japan, and everybody does a good job of joining in, while the organist hits new heights of perfection.

And then the reading:

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,

it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails."

And then a prayer, and then finally the vows.

"Do you, Keitaro Urashima, take this woman, Mutsumi Otohime to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"Keitaro, this is the bit where you say 'I do;".

"Er, oh yes! Of course I do!"

"And do you, Mutsumi ..."

"Yes! Yes!"

"Please wait until I have finished, Mutsumi. Do you take this man, Keitaro , as long as you both shall live?"

"Yes!"

And then we exchange rings, then another brief prayer, and ...

"I now pronounce you man and wife. Keitaro, you mak kiss your bride"

And Keitaro lifts my veil and places it behind my head. He then embraces me and closes his eyes. I close my eyes too, as I melt into his arms, and his lips clamp around my nose.

I open my eyes and see that his eyes have opened wide. "I'm sorry!" he says. "Please forgive me!"

"Of couse I forgive you. I'll even let you try again, if you like!" And we embrace once again, and this time our lips meet properly in a passionate kiss. And the congregation bursts into applause.

"Nooooooooooooo!"

Ara, who can that be? What can it mean?

"It's alright Mutsumi" shouts my father. "It's just your mother. She's just realising that you'll be going away and living somewhere else, and not just for a few months."

"Yes, that's right. I'm sorry about interrupting your moment, Keitaro, Mutsumi. Please carry on, I'll be all right in a minute."

* * *

Now we're at the village hall for the reception, and I have changed into the kimono.

"Are you all right, Kei-kun?" I ask. He seems to be holding his nose.

"I'll be OK, just a bit of a nosebleed. You look .. stunning!" He replies. "You looked stunning before, in the wedding dress. Actually, you always look stunning, But ... wow! I mean, wow! It's not just the dress, it's the way your hair streams over your shoulder, it's your face, it's ... everything about you. I really am the luckiest person alive!"

"I think I might be luckier. I was looking for you for fifteen years, but thinking I might never find you. And then you bumped into me ... and I found out just how special and caring you were. You saved my life. And you're so beautiful!"

"Please, guys are handsome, not beautiful!"

"And you're handsome too!"

Everybody is milling around at first, and we circulate, trying to have at least a few words with everybody. Mostly it's receiving congratulations, and best wishes for the future.

And then, to satisfy the guests who would like a more traditional Japanese ceremony, we have "san san kudo" - "three times three". Three cups of sake; three sips from each cup. And when we have finished, we pass the cups to our families.

And I make an announcement. "The three times three symbolises the bonding together of our two families, and I feel really proud and happy to be accepted into the Urashima clan. I thank you all for participating. But Keitaro tells me that his tenants are like family to him. And I'll be living with Keitaro, which means I'll be living with his tenants. I hope that I can be just as much a part of that 'family' as Keitaro is, so if nobody objects I'd like to include them all in the ceremony. And anyway, it's their sake we're using, so it's only fair that they should get a share."

" I don't mind that, but Shinobu and Kaolla especially are a bit young to be drinking sake" says Haruka.

"Oh it will just be a very tiny sip. I'm sure they'll be all right" I reply.

And Shinobu speaks up. "If it will make us like a close family, I'd really like to join in. I think I'll be all right."

Haruka looks slightly dubious, but says it's OK with her if nobody else objects, and nobody does. So the tenants each have a sip from the san-san-kudo cups. I feel like Ive gained not just one but two special new families.

Kaolla Suu bounces over to us. "Heyas!" she says. "You is good as a couple. And that bonding together by drinking the sake - does that mean we is one big happy family now?"

"Yes," I say, "or at least, I hope we can be."

"Strange. I thought we only had group marriages in Molmol, where I comes from. If I'd known you could have them here..."

* * *

After I put Kaolla straight about the real meaning of san san kudo, or at least as straight as I can manage, she says "Oh well. Can't win 'em all. But if you and Keitaro is ever in Molmol, and you wants to extend the marriage, just give me a call. By the way, Mutsumi, the others want to give you things later, but I has a present for you now if that's OK, because it might be handy for your honeymoon."

"Thank you" I say, as she hands me something that looks a lot like an air freshener. "Er, what is it?"

"Switch it on and yous'll see!" she says, pointing to a small switch on the side of the device.

I flick the switch, and suddenly the "air freshener" starts flashing brightly and making a loud noise like a siren.

"Aaargh! It's an overload! It's gonna blow! take cover!" Kaolla yells as she dives under the nearest table. Other people start to run, panic stricken, as I flick the switch back to the off position and the commotion stops as suddenly as it started.

After a few seconds Kaolla pokes her head out from under the table. "Sorry!" she says, with a sheepish look on her face. "It wasn't supposed to do that."

"What is it supposed to do?" I ask.

"It's just one of my standard banana detectors, that I've modified to detect watermelons instead. I don't understand why it acted like that. There should be just a tiny spot of light on it for each watermelon that's near, just like a radar display."

Mom speaks up then. "I know what happened", she says. "That table you dived under, there's a sheet covering it. take the sheet away and see what's underneath." And we do. And it's my turn to say "wow!"

"The watermelon growers association have really done themselves proud this time", mom continues, and my eyes light up as I feast them on the biggest and best collection of watermelons I have ever seen. Every one is perfect, and there's a few different types, and some of them have been carved into fantastic exquisite sculptures.

"Some of the sculptures were done by Motoko" my mother continues. "She has quite a knack with a knife. She just waves it in the general direction of the thing she wants to carve, and it's carved."

"Everybody has done or is doing something for the show" adds Haruka. "I'll be brewing the tea. Shinobu has prepared a lot of the food, and I'd better warn you, Kaolla has made a special banana curry."

"Yay! Banana curry! You'll love it!" cries Kaolla. She then leads me away from Keitaro and continues in a conspiratorial whisper.

"Don't tell Keitaro, but the switch on that device has two 'on' positions. In position two it's a Keitaro detector. That's why I'm giving it to you now."

And now the covers are being taken off the rest of the buffet. Almost time for eating, and speeches. But first I spot someone I wasn't expecting.

"Takahashi-san" I say, It's nice to see you. I thought you might have had to rejoin your ship!"

"No, the overhaul is taking longer than planned, fortunately, so I've been staying in the village. Please allow me to congratulate you on your marriage. If you want to change your will again to reflect the changes in your circumstance, I'll be happy to oblige."

"About that will," I say, "the changes that you witnessed..."

"Oh yes, I apologise for making them public. I certainly would have kept them secret normally, but disclosure seemed to be the right thing to do in the circumstances."

"The circumstances?

"I would normally consult you before disclosing anything about your financial or legal affairs, of course. But that didn't seem to be an option when Dr. Harusaki pronounced you dead. Oh dear, I shouldn't have said that, should I?"

Dr. Sakamoto said you might get upset if you found out. I'm sorry, Mutsumi."

* * *

Hi. Sorry this chapter took so long. It seemed like a simple task when I started - just describe a wedding, with a few little hitches and incidents to make it interesting, but I had a couple of false starts where what I wrote just didn't look right. I hope it looks right this time. Sorry if the confrontation between Naru and Mutsumi near the start of this chapter wasn't as fiery as you may have wanted. I hope the reason for that was made clear enough at the end of the chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks.

sdf


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